Long Live the Tentacled Queen
by Wrathofbalance2
Summary: Ursula won. In spite of Ariel's best efforts, the happy ending never came. Many months later, it's time to see what has become of the proud kingdom and all the characters we love.
1. The Representative

It was a bright Fall morning under the sea; the tide was just right, and the water was a perfect temperature. Schools of fish swam by merrily as their scales shone from the light of the morning sun. Coral and seaweed swayed gently to the rhythm of the water while the clams lazily filter fed. In the distance, dolphins could be heard echoing the melodic sounds of smack talk to each other. For a caravan of seahorse riders, it was a perfect day for travelling Open Ocean.

It was a small caravan, no bigger than maybe twelve merfolk of different races, and a few other sea creatures. Those with lower intelligence such as large seahorses bore the burden of riders and cargo, while more intelligent ones such as sea lions and octopi swam beside the merfolk, chatting to one another. The odd one of the group was a gigantic marlin who swam closer to the front of the group and spoke to no one; she was scarred in several places and her eyes remained vigilantly focused on what was ahead of her.

At their head was the mermaid captain. She was a tanned mermaid with a strong and well built body, who bore long ebony hair tightened together into a top knot. She wore a thick fish leather guard from her waist to her top leaving only a chest line exposed, (a stark difference from city mermaids who only wore simple bras), along with a stone trident strapped to her back. Her face was worn with both age and experience, yet still had a softness hinting to great wisdom. The mount she rode was a hard faced creature that looked more rabid than domestic. It's gaze was fierce, and every stroke it took seemed like it would split the water apart with its speed, but it obeyed it's rider without question.

To her side was a cecaelian merman, riding a smaller mount, his cephalopod tentacles wrapped around the creature as a makeshift saddle. The merman had a youthful complexion, with a face as soft as a baby and hair slicked back by a golden tiara. His body was not particularly chiseled, with signs of flab around his stomach which he would occasionally suck in. His only other attire was two golden shoulder guards in the shape of seashells. Linked to both was a long cape bearing an insignia of a giant squid perched atop a mountain as waves crashed beneath.

The merman edged closer to the caravan's captain and said, "How long will it be until we get there?"

The captain shot him a quick glance and remarked, "Should be before sundown at this rate, weather seems to be in our favor today. I guess the queen's in a friendly type mood." She giggled a bit towards her own remark, while the merman gave a fairly exaggerated sigh.

"That long? Jumping jellyfish woman, we have been on Open Ocean for days now. Surely we can make better time than this."

Her face did not change, but she made sure to let her tone speak her opinion. "I'm sorry, Mr. Representative, but this is as fast as my caravan goes. I am not a slave driver, and we are in no hurry to get there."

"Well I am," shouted the young man in a tone that seemed to plead for her attention. "The queen requested an audience with the representatives of the neighboring regencies by the 21st! I would be a laughingstock if I were to be the only one late! I am paying you all gold standard to escort me on this trip, and I expect worthwhile service!"

The mermaid turned towards him, and gave him a glance of pure befuddlement. "Maybe that would be a problem sir, if we weren't a day ahead of schedule."

His cheeks flourished in embarrassment at the sound of her words, but the words just kept coming, "You never know what may happen! For all we know a boulder may get in our path!"

"We'd just swim around it." The captain kept a dull tone.

"We may be halted by a school of tuna!" The cecaelian's face turned bright red.

"We'd just swim around them."

"We may be attacked by a shark!" He seemed to resemble a tomato more than a merman.

"We'd just swim around him."

"We may be halted by a fishing ship- NO, DON'T TELL ME! 'We'd just swim around it!'" His face was now a bright purple.

"Now you're getting the picture." She winked before turning around to face forwards.

The merman seemed about ready to implode at the sound of that last statement, but could only bring himself to angrily blow bubbles. Eventually he calmed down and resumed his riding without anymore questions. Eventually, it was the captain who broke the long silence.

"Say, Absalom. What's in it for your lord for coming together with the old kingdom of Atlantica? Last I recall, the royal family didn't care for your kind in their waters."

The youth's face flushed brightly in what could only be described as a mixture of rage and confusion, leaving his lips locked for several seconds. "T-t-t-that's Lord Absalon to you, dink!"

"Watch your mouth fancy boy," screamed the marlin. "When you're in our caravan you respect our captain, unless you want me to make squid rings out of ya!"

The merman turned towards the marlin sharply, his face flushed with fury. "How dare you! I am a Lord of the regency of Calacica, and I demand-"

The marlin slowly edged her way towards the merman, threateningly swinging her bill in his general direction, "I know where you're from, but here, you're just a fish out of water, so why don't you take all your fancy talk and shove them up your-!"

"Mildred!" The captain spoke up in a commanding voice that immediately gathered the attention of those around her. All other conversations slowly subsided as the argument had escalated, and now all were silent.

"Thank you for your concern, but I don't need any defending from petty insults, go back to your post please. And as for you, " _Lord Absalon"_ I suggest you cool down before speaking up again."

The marlin only nodded grimly, and returned to her place in the caravan. As for Absalon, it took him several minutes of huffing a puffing before he was able to regain a semblance of composure. He then took in a deep breath, and began to speak again.

"It's true, that in the past, we cecaelia were not well regarded in the Atlantican courts, especially under the reign of that tyrant Triton, but that's all changed with the coming of the new queen. She has personally committed herself to the restructuring of bonds between all the scorned cecaelian royalties in the land and has finally opened immigration to cecaelians after being barred from setting a fin in Atlantica."

Absalon took a moment to pause in his rant and raised his chest with a sense of pride. "That is where I come in. I am representing my regent in this meeting between the queen and the provinces around her. Soon we of the cecaelian race shall carve forth a new era of peace and prosperity."

At first, the captain could only whistle and roll her eyes in response to the merman's statement. "'New era of prosperity and peace,' huh? From the rumors I've heard, the queen is a tyrant who taxes the innocent merfolk ruthlessly and transforms them into monsters."

"Hmph," scoffed the young man. "It would only be justice, after all the years of mistreatment under you flimsy fish-folk and that demon, Triton (curse his name). Whatever punishments have come your way is your own fault. As they say, 'you reap what you sow.'" The merman cockily grinned at the mermaid and placed a finger near his head mockingly.

"Well I'm not one to make judgments," sighed the captain. "I've seen kingdoms rise and fall plenty of times before, and I'm sure this won't be the last. I just don't feel like anything good will come out of this new regime, at least not for us merfolk; I've heard tales of the queen when she was still called the sea witch. She granted favors to desperate merfolk, but it always came at a price. Often it was a price that was simply too high for them to pay and she took them instead. And those who could pay often came out worse for wear."

"That is just life right there; you take chances to get what you want, and if you're unable to pay the price, you get burned for it. Weak willed fish-folk just have to learn to not let their desperation get the better of them." Absalon gave a hard glance to the captain, who he noticed resting a hand towards her stomach, her eyes seemed to grow dim looking upon the sight.

She let out a faint sigh, "Yeah. I suppose you're right."

They said nothing to each other for the rest of their journey.


	2. Arrival At Atlantica

It'd been a long journey, but there she was.

Atlantica; the great city of legends. It had been years since a cecaelia had ever set a tentacle in this city, and now Absalon was one of the chosen few to reap the early glory. He could not help but feel a fire light up in his heart as he drew ever closer to the city. This would, no doubt, earn him great favor in his lord's court and set a path for his future ambitions.

 _I love it when a plan comes together._ Absalon's thoughts raced with delusions of grandeur, all while he wore the stupidest grin, wider than a beached whale.

Absalon parted ways with the caravan on the outskirts of the city and made for the Eastern Gate. As he approached, he came across one hell of a surpise. It turned out he was far from the first cecaelia to come into Atlantica recently, as floating outside the gate were two cecaelian guards. The revelation made his heart shrink to his liver.

"So much for being unique...," he muttered to himself.

The two guards were both caecilian mermaids, and not bad lookers to be sure, but their eyes didn't suggest any sort of friendliness. They were hard stares that seemed strong enough to pierce stone and had an almost manic level of intensity that left Absalon somewhat uneasy. Their eyes darted back and forth, almost as if searching for trouble, or someone to start trouble with.

Otherwise, the mermaids looked normal enough. They both had rough skin around their octopus halves, (meant for camouflage in times of danger), reaching all the way up to their chests. (They were definitely from the west.) Their humanoid sides were well toned, and bore tough looking shoulder guards with spikes on them, as well as fish leather gloves. They also wore simple coral helmets over their heads over short brown locks of hair. In their tentacles they carried two short swords bearing odd symbols Absalon hadn't seen before, and in their arms they carried plain daggers.

He didn't get far towards the gate before one guard spotted him, and alerted her companion.

"Halt! Who goes there!?" The guard shouted with two of her blade outstretched.

But before Absalon could say a word, the guards quickly reinspected him, upon which their personalities made a complete turn-around. Their eyes softened to a completely passive state; their mouths flipped from scowls to grins; and they immediately sheathed their swords and daggers. They then humbly bowed towards him.

The right guard spoke, "We're sorry brother. We mistook you for riff-raff. Are you one of the new recruits for the city patrol?"

Absalon exaggeratedly rolled his eyes at the two, "Hardly."

In an almost comical display of bravado, Absalon reared his steed back and stuck his chest out in some vague attempt to look as important as possible. "I am Lord Absalon, representative of the province of Silmaria, and one of the great nobles of these waters! My coming was heard throughout the land in a perfect storm of excellence and pride, and now I grace this city with my presence! I was summoned here by the queen to-"

Having a seahorse rear for too long is not a smart decision, and often leads to your steed bucking you out of annoyance. Needless to say, Absalon got a perfect sized lump from the rock he hit when he tumbled off. On the bright side, he was far more straightforward after that.

"I was summoned for an audience with your queen. I wish to be taken to her." He muttered as he crossed his arms and two of his tentacles together.

The second guard swam towards Absalon, (stiffling a chuckle as she approached), and bowed her head. "We shall inform her majesty of your arrival sir. One of the eel brothers will come to pick you up. We just request that you stay here while my sister goes to retrieve him."

Absalon was fine with that decision, as it gave him perfect time to adjust to his new setting. Once the guard's sister left, he began to grill her with whatever questions he could regarding the status of Atlantica at the current moment. What he learned from her was very interesting indeed.

It seems the kingdom was in a state of utter disarray following the months after the former king's demise. When the queen took control, the populace was in a less than willing position to obey; along with most of the city guard who still retained strong loyalty to their king. Bribes and mere threats were not enough to convince enough merfolk to the queen's side, and drastic measures were taken to force stability.

The majority of the former guards were either sacked and banished, or executed; and those who didn't want to leave easy met fates worse than death. (The mermaid wore a toothy grin, and an uncomfortable glare upon relaying this part.) The citizens were practically in revolt at the time, but the more examples the queen made with her powers, the more they began to quiet down. It was an uneasy peace though, as dissention quickly began to spread throughout the underground, and this wasn't something that could easily be dealt with by one person. (Hostile takeovers usually don't go so well unless you have people backing you up, but it doesn't hurt to have magic.)

The queen did not take this peace lying down however. She immediately began announcing proclamation after proclamation, lifting old laws and writing new ones. One such law was to open immigration to all cecaelian people to the city, and guard positions were offered to all able bodied folk. (The big advantages cecaelias have always had to merfolk, is that there is no difference in power between male and female. Their tentacles were their greatest assets, and could crush any who stood before them.)

This was certainly met with praise from caecilians all over, but garnered mostly disgust from fish-folk. There were many eager volunteers up for the spoils, yet the paper work, and providing positions for these people proved to be a time consuming factor that led to months with a ramshackle government.

Now however, the kingdom was starting to show signs of stabilizing. A few months of working the kinks out were finally starting to show their results, and the queen's stern policies kept the merfolk in line just long enough to get some muscle in her ranks. Now the city guard was starting to grow to a respectable size, and were given a reasonable amount of freedom to do what they want with the merfolk as long as it kept the peace.

The queen was a crafty woman though, and made her power perfectly clear to even cecaelias that she was the reigning monarch, and traitorous acts would not be tolerated. (This proved a little unnecessary for the cecaelias who were happy enough to enjoy their newfound rights in Atlantica.) Needless to say, her rule was iron fisted.

"As for me," whispered the guard in a cool tone. "I'm living as good a life as any cecaelia can get. These flimsy fish-folk make for great sport, though their mermen are absolutely pathetic. I've destroyed several of them, sometimes in front of their families, and they show less backbone than I do."

She gave Absalon a childish smirk as they both laughed at some cecaelia humor. All the while, Absalon's head was brimming with eagerness for the future.

If these dinks were so hapless now, then it seems it would be almost trivial to exploit them for future labors. Their morale was so distraught after the loss of their king that it would be child's play. This certainly would need to be a subject Absalon would bring up on the day of the meeting.

Before long, the other guard-maiden had returned, accompanying her was a large moray eel with mismatched eyes. Absalon turned to this Eel and bowed his head, as he struggled to recollect a name he had heard from his Lord.

"Ah... greetings Lord... Flots-?"

"Jetsam, my dear boy. Jetsam."


	3. Of Polyps and People

Sunset was soon turning to an early evening, as Jetsam led Absalon through the streets of Atlantica. The city was quite the sight to see, even in the dimming water as the grand coral buildings shone magnificently. Soon the lamps would be lit, and the city would come alive again in another way.

Absalon was quick to note the lack of life on the streets however. There was nary a soul in sight, aside from the occasional cecaelian guard who would be fraternizing with other guards, or be on patrol. What few fish-folk he saw were quick to avoid being near either him or the eel. They didn't hide their disdain for the two of them though.

The fish-folk's eyes were boiling hot with hatred, and their frowns were so deep it seemed as if they would rip off their skin. Absalon even noticed a group of youthful fish-folk gripping stones in their hands; if not for the passing of a patrol, Absalon felt the situation would have gotten very ugly fast. He paid no great heed to it though. He was well aware the resentment fish-folk had towards his kind, and was willing to put up with it. A few glares and threats were nothing to the years of cruelty delivered unto his kind. Now the tables had turned, and justice was finally being delivered to the oppressors.

As he and Jetsam were about to turn around the corner, Absalon was shocked to discover a revolting sight. It was a polyp, planted on the corner of the street by a lamp. Polyps were plant-like animals that stuck to the ocean floor and either kept to themselves or would become jellyfish in due time. They were considered the lowest form of pest, right next to barnacles and nematodes.

It's eyes were disfigured and uneven, either bulging outwards or caving into it's head. The skin was flabby, and covered to the brim in warts. It had a shaggy beard trailing down to the sea floor covered in a mossy substance. The creatures expression was that of utter despair as it looked at him and Flotsam pass by. When it realized Absalon was staring back, it quickly shrunk behind it's stalk

Absalon gave a vocal cry without even thinking about, "Ugh, that's disgusting! I knew the situation was not ideal, but could you people not afford some pest control?!"

Jetsam turned around and gave an inquisitive stare. When he finally realized what Absalon referred to, his expression turned into a mischievous smirk.

"Aaaah, I see you have spotted one of my mistress'... trophies," the eel whispered in an almost aloof manner. He slithered his way across the darkening street towards the thing and gave it a sly pat on the head with his tails. "When my mistress graced this city with her presence; the merfolk didn't take too kindly to her. Certain dissenters became particularly rowdy and sought to depose her from her rightful throne, but through her cunning, these dissenters were fished out of their hiding places and given their just reward.

Absalon's jaw dropped immediately. The implications of what this eel was saying seemed almost otherworldly. He looked again at the creature, who seemed to be attempting to bury it's head into the ground in order to avoid his gaze.

"Y-you mean t-t-to tell me that THING was a-!"

"Exactly," hissed the eel as he slithered away from the sorry creature.

"The queen has, that much power?!"

"It was more than power that won this city, good sir. If power was all that mattered, that brute Triton would still be in control. Now, if you may follow me sir, it's getting dark."

As Jetsam slithered off, Absalon couldn't help but give one more glance towards the polyp on the ground. It's sad expression bore greater meaning than ever before, as it sagged in place as if waiting for the world to end.

For a moment, Absalon couldn't help but feel even a twinge of pity for the poor creature. To lose all it's hopes and dreams; to have nothing left to live for but to feed on plankton while the world passed it by. There was no fate that could be crueler than that, even for a despicable fish-man. And for just a moment, Absalon couldn't help but feel conflicted about the queen's methods.

He put these thoughts to rest when he heard Jetsam call out to him to hurry up, and continued on into the city. As they passed along the wide streets, Absalon couldn't help but notice more polyps scattered about the city, looking towards him with their sad faces. The sight of them made him cringe in disgust, but he put them out of his mind as he saw the palace draw nearer.

To his surprise, the closer they approached the palace, the more lively the streets became. The houses became more elaborate, and the streets burst with life. Merfolk wandered about in droves, with many being caecilias. For every one fishfolk, there'd be three caecilias. They ranged in various appearances, from young to old, to ornately dressed and those who wore simple fashion. People fraternized with one another happily and without a sign of worry on their faces, and Absalon couldn't help but share their joy the more he looked at them. Even the sight of a wayward polyp was not enough to bring down his spirits.

"This is magnificent, I never thought I'd see so many of our people in one place and so happy," Absalon cried. "Are all these immigrants?"

Jetsam turned and gave him a surprisingly earnest looking smile, "If there is one thing to benefit from a rapid depopulation of a kingdom, it's that the former populace leaves a lot behind for others to inherit. They are all the families of the growing city guard. Soon they're numbers will extend to downtown."

Jetsam then turned his head towards the throng and gave a deep sigh, "The queen does amazing things that no one else can accomplish. Perhaps now that things are calming down, these decisions will continue…"

Jetsam's sentence trailed off into inaudible mutters at that point, and he seemed lost in a trance.

As Absalon looked upon the crowd swimming by, he couldn't help but notice his throat was backed up a bit. To see so many cecaelians in one place was incredible, and it only served to remind him how small his lord's province really was. It was a terrible place, where the sea was too warm, and the water murky. The land was unfertile, and tightly knit, with perilous rock formations and currents so strong, that houses would constantly have to be repaired.

Absalon's people were trapped though. He remembered the stories his parents told him long ago when he was just a little squid. He remembered them speaking of the evil king of Atlantica who brought down his wrath upon all cecaelias and left them to die scattered and lost. All because of some conspiracy some years back involving cecaelias, Atlantica no longer became a friendly place for them.

Now though, things were different. The land here was beautiful and cool with plentiful space for all his people, and he would make certain they got the benefits they deserved. The fish-folk would be key to earning those benefits, if his plans could come to fruition.

"Sir Absalon? Are you alright?"

Absalon's eyes shot open when he heard his name. He turned to Jetsam and attempted to regain a level of composure.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "Let's keep going."

The rest of the trip remained short, sweet, and in silence. Eventually though, Absalon noticed a spire of golden light, approaching him. As he drew closer, it grew ever more impressive.

Finally, he came at last to his destination; the palace.


	4. Growing Tensions

The palace was truly a magnificent sight to behold, what with its spiraling towers, and impressive archways; it was an architectural masterpiece. It was a little too open though, all things considered. Despite being built as a tower, there were multiple windows to the outside world for people to swim about freely. An assassin could have easily entered here in the cover of darkness and done his business without a soul noticing him. At least, that's what Absalon thought, before he entered the behemoth structure.

One inside, a shiver traipsed down his back. It was the sort of shiver one usually felt when there was strong magic present. Most ordinary fish would never notice it unless they were born with sensitivity to magic; even many magicians had trouble actually feeling the presence of invisible spells like this. Absalon was no master himself, but he had enough power in him to notice these things, ever since he was an inkling.

Absalon couldn't trace the where it was, or even what it was. All he could feel was a sort of watching eye lingering somewhere both near and far. For all he knew, it could have extended all over the palace, but that didn't seem to be true. By his eye, it didn't seem to stretch out that far, but Absalon could feel that there was more lurking somewhere. The presence didn't seem hostile, or friendly to his being there, just… accepting. Absalon's tentacles began to quake.

 _Well, now I know why the old conspiracy failed, if this is what Triton had backing up his palace. Sheesh._ Absalon gave an audible gulp, and swam on after Jetsam, doing his best to ignore the guardian.

He swam upwards through multiple winding passageways of incredible décor and class that seemed almost unreal to behold at times. The level of craftsmanship in the pillars and wall carvings were no less than the work of a master. The wound all the way up and up, connecting to towers and chambers beyond where he could go, goading him to inspect the vast architectural feats. But Absalon kept his head together, and focused on following Jetsam until at last he was led to the entrance of a grand hallway.

At the entrance, Jetsam halted his speed and turned to speak to Absalon. "The queen is currently conducting a trial for the leader of the rebellion from a few months back. I will announce your presence to her once she is done. All I ask is for you to wait here, good sir."

And with that, Jetsam disappeared into the hallway; leaving Absalon alone to his thoughts.

He was finally there in the Antlantican courts, and what awaited him at that hall would be the one of the most powerful people in the ocean now. She would be someone who had the power to topple nations, and transform merfolk into polyps at a whim. She was the person who turned the oceans on their head in only a few months, and Absalon would finally meet her. In a way, it was his dreams to finally be in a place such as this, and before people of great power.

Something left him uneasy though. It was her methods of ruling.

Absalon's mind traced back to earlier today, and to the image of that sad polyp on the ground, crushed by the weight of a misery few would ever know. The thought of its life being forever changed seemed too cruel. The fact it could not even swim away from Atlantica and hide itself away in some dark place where no one could find it was simply the icing on the cake. It could only avoid the gazes of those who still had their freedom intact; living in jealousy and sadness forever. In a way, that was perhaps the only positive to the scattering of his people, that they could still have each other, and hide their shame away from the prying eyes of the mocking world.

He even wondered how far such punishments would extend, and to whom…

Before he could finish his thoughts, Absalon was distracted by the sudden sounds of angry yelling coming from the passageway. Soon, he noticed a caecilian guard coming out holding a small cage. Inside the cage was an angry looking crab clawing at the bars. All the while he screamed profanities so colorful that they would make the most hardened sailor blush. Behind the two came Jetsam, who split off from the two to join Absalon.

"Who is that," questioned Absalon as the guard carried the crab away.

Jetsam gave a very audible sigh of annoyance, "The former court composer, and the former king's closest friend."

"You're kidding me," Absalon blurted out. "Him?! He looks more like an hors d'oeuvre than a leader of a rebellion."

"You would be surprised. Underneath that deliciously meaty hide lies the brain of a surprisingly smooth talking, musical mastermind. He was instrumental to the madness of that rebellion." Jetsam let loose another sigh.

"Not sure I really see it," Absalon muttered under his breath. "But if that's the case, why didn't the queen just kill him there and then? She has the Trident; you would think she would just turn him into stuffed crab."

Jetsam let out a sigh so loud, that he seemed as if he were in a summer drought. "My mistress' train of thought is in a very complicated place right now, and I don't think even I could answer that."

Finally, after some time, Jetsam collected himself and began to speak to Absalon. "The queen is very eager to see you. She has already reserved a room for you to stay for the night, but would like to give you a formal greeting."

As Jetsam spoke, Absalon could feel his heart begin to race faster and faster. The water around him seemed to almost warm several degrees as the thoughts came rushing forwards. He was going to see the queen. The queen! He would be presented as both a representative of his nation, but as a representative of himself. His very future could linger in the balance, and he still had many uneasy thoughts on his mind about the queen. If Absalon even let one of these feelings slip, who knows what could come about from that? It could be the end of his career; or even the end of him.

No. Absalon had to find some way to stall.

"Well now," quietly hissed Jetsam. "Shall we go?"

Before he could turn towards the entrance, Absalon quickly called out to Jetsam; knowing this would be his last chance to get an idea of what he was even doing. "Wait a minute, Lord Jetsam."

Jetsam turned to face him bearing a questioning glance.

"This is just something I wanted to ask, before I met the queen face to face, but what do you think of her methods? Namely, what do you think of… those things?"

For a moment, Jetsam was silent. He kept his eyes fixated on Absalon for what seemed like ages, giving him a growing sense of unease. Then at last he lowered his head and sighed.

"I know what you speak of. When I first met my mistress, a long time ago, I remember also being horrified of them. Trust me when I say this though; after a time, merfolk who end up like that become mundane."

He raised his head up towards Absalon and blew a few bubbles of air in an exasperated fashion.

"The way they fall into this pattern is almost laughable on their part as they constantly let themselves be conned in ways that seem to defy common-sense. After a point, it becomes less revolting, and more just a chore. My mistress grew to understand these weaknesses and took to exploiting them to the best of her ability; earning herself trophies, as well as knowledge. It was this innate sense of her that won her the crown, as well as control of the kingdom."

Absalon's face remained stern as the eel continued to talk to him.

"In time though, there is only so many times one can be pushed before they must rest themselves. (Even the wise deserve peace from all the questions they are commanded to answer.) And what you see now, is only the aftermath of my mistress' terrifying wrath; to actually have been there would have left anyone quaking. I remember the times she would wander the palace, releasing her anger in bolts of fury upon anything she could find after particularly stressful days. Those were the days when I and my brother were most frightened."

Absalon stiffened as the eel relayed his story in greater detail.

"And yet… to see her now in the state she is in leaves me in nothing short of awe. That she still can perform after having the weight of the world above her is amazing, and leaves one to forget what she does to keep this peace she built. In the end, I fully believe her to be the best person to bear the crown, as someone who has seen both madness and stability. Wherever she goes, I shall loyally follow her."

After that, Jetsam turned away from Absalon and swam towards the entry way. Absalon could only watch silently as he swam away. He didn't know what to really make of the story he had just heard. It failed to really comfort him, and left him more anxious than before. All the same, it was a different sort of anxiety, brought more about by awe than fear.

Absalon took a deep breath, and proceeded to follow Jetsam into the hall.

 **No chapter tomorrow folks. I'm gonna be busy. We're almost at the end though, so buckle up.**


	5. Tricks and Traps

It was a long and winding hallway, with no remarkable features aside from its length. Like the rest of the halls, the floor was slightly inclined upwards, signifying that this was leading upwards to the topmost tower of the palace. Suddenly, an exit revealed itself, and Jetsam and Absalon let the hall and out to-

"Oh my Gods…" Absalon's mouth hung open as he beheld the awful sight.

The hallway had led out into an open field that overlooked the rest of the palace. It was the tallest spire in the kingdom and on this spire laid a garden. It was a garden of polyps, all gathered together in one place, mixed with the occasional normal plant by their side, but overall taking up the majority of space in the garden.

The many different shapes stared out at Absalon with their bulbous and sad eyes as they wriggled in space. The odd thing though, was that no sound came out of them. They had their mouths open but nothing was coming out of them, not even a squeak. Absalon knew that there had to be some magic at work there. The queen had probably put some noise cancelling spell on the creatures so that they didn't cause a ruckus with their crying. That didn't stop Absalon from feeling disturbed.

"Pay no mind to them," remarked Jetsam, swimming past Absalon. "They are all older wretches from before the queen took the throne. She simply relocated them here from the old location."

"So then these are the merfolk who came to her on their own free will?" Absalon's jaw dropped hard as the words left his lips.

Jetsam only nodded and swam forwards, leaving Absalon behind.

Absalon had felt a sense of pity for the polyps down below, but to see this; this mass of damned fishfolk all huddled together in one place was dumbfounded. They all came to the queen for some reason over another, against all the signs; against logic; because they couldn't bother to lift a finger to get it done themselves? He finally gained an understanding as to what Jetsam meant back in the hall.

Absalon put his hands to his sides and proclaimed loudly so that each polyp could hear him, "You people are idiots."

He then swam after Jetsam in a quickened pace, leaving the pitiful creatures behind in their misery.

Soon the two of them came up to a large dome-like area at the far end of the garden, inside Absalon could make our the silhouettes of several people, but chose to focus on what was in front of him. He approached the doorway cautiously; hoping to seem as well mannered as he possible could be. It wasn't long before he finally got inside the throne room.

It was fairly plain, by most throne room standards. There were few decorations strewn about, but otherwise, there was little aside from the great throne in the middle.

Absalon could see several people strewn about this throne room. Beside the throne was an eel who looked similar to Jetsam; (Absalon assumed that was Flotsam). And on the floor of the room were six youthful fish girls who wore no bras, and silently stared. They weren't even staring at Absalon; they seemed to just be staring in his general direction, blankly. There were of varying ages, but all had a level of beauty usually only reserved for nobility.

From what Absalon could guess, these were the daughters of the former king. But why were they just sitting there? They didn't appear to be restrained by anything; so why didn't they even move around? That was a question for later, because at that moment, Absalon shook himself away from the sight to gaze at the throne.

And on that throne was the person who Absalon had spent over a week travelling to reach. The person who he spent nights on the cold ocean floor pondering about. The most powerful Caecilian- no, most powerful mermaid in the ocean at this very moment! Once known as the sea witch, but now hailed as a queen.

Ursula.

Absalon wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly was nothing like this. The first thing that struck him about Queen Ursula was her girth. She was by and far, the largest Caecilian women he had ever seen bar none. The flab of her stomach seemed to burst away from the confines of the clearly smaller throne.

Her tentacles were just as enormous, hanging downwards in an inconspicuously docile state, with only an occasional twist and turn of a tendril. However, Absalon knew better. Even from his position, he could see cracks and indentations lined on the base of the throne, near where the tentacles stayed. There was a power in those that were not to be trifled with.

The third thing that caught his eye were the enormous size of her breasts, but seeing as Absalon didn't feel like going to prison anytime soon, he quickly shifted his gaze.

She wore two silver arm braces decorated with many jewels of various shapes and sizes, and a silver armlet of an eel on her right arm. Above her... well endowed bosoms was a simple gold necklace of a nautilus shell. The thing was the simplest jewel, yet Absalon couldn't help but be a little drawn to it. There was an unnatural feel to the shell, though he could not quite place his finger on it.

In her hair she wore a great crown of gold which was wrapped across her head, and beside the crown was...

 _Well, that's disturbing._

In her hair was a very small polyp, hanging in there as if it were a flower decoration. This polyp however, was different from the ones Absalon had seen. Its features didn't seem very ragged, and its hair was not as disheveled as the other polyps. Its skin was a lighter hue of green, and its eyes were not misshapen like the rest. Absalon would even fancy saying it looked somewhat cute.

What surprised Absalon most of all though, was that unlike the other polyps which seemed to be trapped in a state of utter despair, this polyp seemed more bored than anything. Its eyes were dull and lifeless in a way similar to how a cynic looks on a bright and sunny day. It barely shot him a glance as he entered the room before puffing its lips and blowing an exasperated sigh.

Then there was Ursula's face. Despite being round and smooth, the closer to her center lines of age could be discerned. She wore fairly intense makeup around her face, yet none of it could really hide the age, yet it didn't appear Ursula made a huge attempt to disguise it. Her lips were colored bright red and parted with a soft smile that seemed genuine enough. As for her eyes, Absalon could see a great many things in them.

Her eyes were in this neutral like position that was very hard to really decipher. From the way they focused squarely on him, he could tell there was an intense appraisal going on. Yet at the same time, her eyes never seemed too far from genuine happiness, while retaining what may have been tiredness or perhaps a look of relaxation. It was hard and soft at the same time, and Absalon knew that this woman had a lot of cunning behind her.

Without a moment's hesitation, Absalon gave deep and courteous bow, "Hail Queen Ursula: rightful ruler of Atlantica and martyr of the Caecilian merfolk."

There was silence in that throne room for what seemed like an eternity. Absalon could feel his tentacles cramp up from holding him up in such an awkward position for so long, but he dared not move. The longer the wait went on, the more nervous he became about his place in the world, and his status as a noble. It seemed almost as if he was being crushed underneath a great boulder with no way to squeeze himself free. His body shivered more and more until the pain started to become unbearable.

Finally, the silence was broken.

"You may rise, Sir Absalon. I've been expecting you."

Absalon's head jumped upwards and his eyes bulged to an enormous size when he heard that comment.

Without thinking, he shouted, "HUH?!"

Absalon lost balance from his position and began to flail his way back up with the help of his tentacles. His mouth sputtered absolute gibberish in a desperate attempt to recoil the words he spoke.

What had caught him so off guard was not the comment itself. It was the queen's voice! When he had first laid eyes on her, he had expected the hoarse voice of an elderly woman with a deep baritone to go with it. The voice he heard though, was that of a young girl's maybe no older than sixteen. Yes, the voice was fairly deep, but definitely not deep or hoarse enough to make sense.

As Absalon attempted to recompose himself, he heard the voice emit a sultry sounding chuckle.

The queen held a hand to her mouth in a vain attempt to cover her laughter, "It seems I've still got it after all this time."

Still she spoke like a sultry teenager; Absalon wasn't imagining it. The sheer abnormality of the situation left Absalon in such a state of disarray that he had difficulty even speaking properly for a good few minutes. Finally, he took the time to clear his throat and accept that what he had heard was real. It was never safe to question royalty on their appearance, except for compliments. (He learned that fact the hard way.)

"Ah, forgive me for my insolence, milady," Absalon spoke slowly so as to cover his stammers. "I didn't mean to jump like that."

Suddenly, the queen's strangely sultry voice rose slightly and she shifted in her seat. "Oh, so I am the reason you jumped then?"

 _Nuts._

Absalon's thoughts were starting to quicken in pace, but he was good at getting out of messy situations like this. He thought fast to create a reasonable excuse, "Ah, no milady. I was just being foolish for letting myself be caught unawares by where I was coming too, and not being ready. I am simply stunned by your presence."

He didn't mean to add the unnecessary compliment, but it just came out.

The queen turned to her trident and gave it an appraisal before giving another remark, "So I am something to be unaware of eh? It's been several months since I've taken the throne, so I'd say I'm fairly well known in the ocean. You didn't do your homework, I see."

 _Nuts! Nuts!_

Absalon's mind was moving at break-neck speed in order to get out of this mess. His tentacles noticeably quivered beneath him, but he did his best to control it while he thought of something else to save his skin.

"N-No your majesty; I just mean that s-s-s-sometimes, people, people, make mistakes in their juh-judgment!"

The queen's smile from before was gone now, and replaced with a disconcerting frown that lowered as she spoke, "And who is the one making the mistake here? From the sounds of it, it's almost as if you're saying I'm the one in the wrong."

 _NUTS! NUTS! NUTS!_

Absalon was visibly terrified now and couldn't hold back the fear in his eyes that widened with every passing thought. He saw the queen fiddle more actively with her trident at every moment, and felt himself shrink in place as he tried to control himself in the situation. Absalon had been in moments like this before, but never with someone so powerful that they could erase him within a matter of seconds, or worse.

Absalon wracked his head together for something; anything that could save his skin at that moment. He felt his heart beat faster as the thoughts moved faster, but the only thing he could muster to say was, "I-I-I-I'm sorry, milady! P-Please forgive me!"

The whole room went silence for a few minutes after that. The very water seemed to stiffen around Absalon as he begged to himself that things would be alright. He could not take his eyes off the queen's grim face, which seemed as hard as stone in the light of the situation. He could not notice the polyp in her hair that rolled its eyes and gave another sigh; or the mermaids that still stared off blankly into space; or the two eels that snickered slightly to one another. All Absalon could meet was the hard gaze of the most powerful person he ever knew.

Suddenly, the queen's mouth began to quiver slightly, despite her attempts to hold it together. At last the grimace came undone, and the queen burst out into a fit of laughter. Her young voice sang throughout the dome in an almost melodic tone that seemed to travel far beyond the confines of the palace. All the while, Absalon kept the same face of utter terror, only mixed with some slight confusion.

After a minute, the queen stifled her laughter and gained enough control to speak, "I'm sorry Lord Absalon, forgive a girl's fancies. When surrounded so often by flimsy fishfolk who want you dead, it's hard to get a good joke around here. I hope I didn't scare you too much."

Absalon's heart sank, and he wanted to sink with it. If he wasn't still so aware of where he was, he may have collapsed right there and then. He kept silent for a moment and hoped to have time to catch his breath. The queen noted this and stayed silent as well; adopting a more lax posture and wearing a sly smirk.

At last Absalon finally regained the courage to speak again, "Aha. Good joke milady. You really got me with that one!"

It was the best he could come up with at the spur of the moment; a lot had happened to him.

The queen gave him a seemingly innocent looking smile in reaction to his comment, but at this point Absalon wasn't sure how truthful it was.

"So I understand you're here for the meeting tomorrow Sir Absalon? You're early." The queen's expression did not change as she spoke.

Absalon was still recovering from the shock of his near heart attack, but was able to recognize the queen's question. "Yes madam. I thought it appropriate to be punctual in light of the importance of this event."

Ursula shifted in her pose only slightly and began to speak again in a whimsical tone, "I've wondered how many of the few cecaelian regencies took to the news that I had become queen. I don't leave the city very often these days as I'm busy with reconstruction."

"Well now," Absalon sputtered, with his mouth racing faster than his mind. "My lord displayed curiosity as to the extent of your rule, and I know some of the other regents often met with him wondering what course of action would be necessary for the future in regards to trade agreements and such, and whether or not we may find some more ways to benefit. I of course wanted to discuss the full benefits of trade at the meeting though, and… and… and…"

Absalon's mouth slowed down as his mind finally got a chance to catch up, but by that time it was too late. He shut his mouth immediately, knowing that saying anything else was not going to help his desperate case. It was a brilliant trap too, all things considered. He wished he had realized it sooner. Between the presence in the palace; the polyps; and the stories he had heard about the queen, Absalon had let his imagination run away with him, and she took full advantage of it to get him to talk.

 _Aw nuts…_

He stopped speaking altogether at that moment, feeling utterly depleted of energy and unable to even put up a fight.

The queen then gave a fairly innocent sounding giggle, but the sound her teenage voice behind her bulbous and elderly body couldn't help but put Absalon more on edge.

"It's alright dear child," The queen chuckled. "I fully understand what you're here to discuss, and what your lords have in mind. I know many things. I called you here because I desired to see you."

Absalon's eyes rose in slight confusion, but he chose not to say anything.

The queen continued, "I see in your eyes that you're an honest cecaelia with a strong loyalty for our glorious people. It's people like you who interest me the most."

Absalon could only look up, slightly blushing at the thought that the queen had an interest in him. He still kept his tongue locked though; remembering just how she got to him before.

"At this time, I'm looking for people like that. People who have a vested interest in the survivability of our race in the face of this trying time." Her smile seemed to become more understanding as she spoke on.

Now Absalon couldn't even hide his prideful smile as she continued to speak of him, but he absolutely refused to even move a lip out of place.

"We shall see at the meeting tomorrow then, what exactly you have in you. I've had the servants set you up with a room; you'll find a good meal prepared for you there. Flotsam will escort you there."

Absalon felt almost ready to cry when he heard those words. A sense of real relief filled him that he hadn't felt in years and almost seemed unreal.

"One more thing though, before you go, as one cecaelia to another," the queen muttered in her soothing voice.

Absalon stiffened once more in preparation for what he'd hear next. It was his final trial.

"The world is filled with many traps," she spoke. "Get caught in your emotions, and you'll find yourself in one. Be careful."

Where once a voice of beauty was, was now replaced by the deep and provocative baritone of an elderly woman.

 **Sorry for all the delays everyone. A few wacky things have been happening this week, and I couldn't really focus on the story. I promise you that I will try to have the final chapter by tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then Friday.**


	6. Waking to a Dream

It had been a long day for Absalon. He didn't know what to expect from Atlantica when he was traveling, and now that he was there he wasn't sure what to make of the place. No matter how much he strained it, everything was too topsy-turvy for his taste.

He lay on his bed staring upwards at the ceiling. He had been given a guest room in the palace, high above the rest of Atlantica. It was pitch black outside, with only the light of the pale moon to pierce the darkness. Absalon could not sleep though; there was too much on his mind.

First, there was the matter of his plans. Absalon had hoped to gain the queen's favor and convince her to follow through with some of his plans for the fishfolk; now he wasn't sure if it would be that easy. For all he knew, he may as well just end up involved in a scheme he didn't mean to get into. The other representatives would be coming tomorrow and it would probably be best for Absalon to take a back seat tomorrow and let them do the talking. He'd probably be able to dance around them better than the queen.

Second; there was the matter of the polyps around the kingdom. They unnerved him, and Absalon wasn't sure what exactly to make of them, mostly because he didn't understand who they were and why they were put on such display. The ones in the garden he somewhat understood, but the once distributed around the kingdom were ones he would have to look into. He hoped that they were all fish-folk, but he had no idea what had been going on the past several months in this kingdom. If any of his suspicions turned out to be true; he'd be in serious danger.

Third; there was the queen. Absalon had really no idea what to think of her. In many respects she was completely insane, but at the same time seemed to have wisdom unlike any Absalon had ever seen. She was both intimidating yet was not an open demander; she had other ways of extracting information out of people with her sheer presence. To an extent Absalon had to wonder if her garden was set up for the purpose of getting others to let down their guard. It certainly was effective on him.

Still; for as frightening as she ways, Absalon couldn't help but feel a level of admiration for her. He looked back on the rumors he heard of her crumbling down rebellions, and it seemed almost obvious that she could do it. He could see her worming her way into the hearts of those who opposed her and bending them to her will. In that way, she was an excellent ruler. She was no brute like Triton who constantly tried to display his power through sheer force. For Ursula's harsh conduct though, Absalon could see softness there, but it was far from a softness built on intimacy, but more built on responsibility and care. She was an oddfish alright.

She also seemed to have a level of interest in Absalon that he found curious. What exactly was she trying to pull with him? Would she have him as a puppet on strings? Or perhaps she was earnest in asking for her help. The way she could manipulate herself back and forth made it difficult to truly decide, because there was no immediate reward for dedicating himself to the queen. The most he could do was wait and see until the best moment arrived.

Whatever the case was; at least his people were happy. Absalon could never forget the pure joy he got from seeing his people in such high spirits. The queen was a touch insane, but that insanity was steering their people in the right direction. It would be Absalon's duty to make sure things continue to go in that direction. One the fish folk were dealt with, that would be no issue.

The best thing to do now was to let the madness continue and eventually shape into the new order where cecaelians had the reigns and the queen was instrumental to that future; he knew it.

Absalon could feel tiredness begin to overtake him the more he slumped in bed. His mind began to slow, and the heavy thoughts that plagued him began to drift away.

"I have a feeling; things are going to be fine," He muttered out loud. "Weird, but fine."

With that final thought, Absalon shut his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep. However, he wondered if he would be waking to reality, or another dream?

* * *

 **I thought it best to end the whole thing on a quiet note, after the whole goobly shmock of yesterday's chapter. It felt only appropriate at this point.**

 **So yeah! It's over! Or is it? Though the main story is over now, that doesn't mean the whole story has ended. I've got more on the way with bonus chapters. So feel free to stay tuned! Bye!**


	7. Bonus Chapter: Sebastian

It was late evening, and the setting sun left gleaming streaks of orange on the surface of the ocean. As time passed, each gleam would wink out one by one, soon to leave the ocean in a state of utter blackness only rivaled by the depths of space. To Sebastian, the coming night was like a shadow stretching over the beautiful kingdom of Atlantica, choking out all light. Even the beautiful palace, whose halls he traversed hundreds of times, seemed more sinister than before. There were shadows that lurked in places where they didn't before, and an overwhelming feeling that he was being watched. Possibly it was the palace's ancient magic at work; magic that protected the royal family for many millennia, but now followed the will of a new master.

He was trapped inside a small cage, which was being carried by a large cecaelian guard who made certain to keep his hands on the handle, lest Sebastian give him a piece of his claws. He was being taken to the throne room, to see the usurper. It was now Sebastian's turn for his sentence for the part he played instigating the rebellion a while back.

That demon Ursula though; she couldn't just get it over with the moment she caught him. Sebastian was King Triton's closest friend, and she wanted him to suffer. Sebastian had to watch one by one, from his cell, as his comrades were taken away. For several weeks it was the same until Sebastian was the only one left. Now it was his turn.

But Sebastian wasn't angry about that; he knew Ursula would make him suffer as much as she could. No; what he was angry about was how the rebellion failed in the first place. His soft crab heart couldn't take it when he saw her that day; the sight of Ariel, bruised, beaten, and missing a fin. She was being chased by traitorous palace guards, and was brutalized by their spears. Each jab made him want to scream, despite the desperate urgings of his comrades. When Ariel seemed to finally lose the guards, Sebastian could not hesitate anymore, and charged in to rescue her.

Alas; he couldn't see the face behind the mask. Sebastian was too absorbed by the guilt he felt for losing Ariel to Ursula. His heart was too heavy to see the lies she spoke to the others, or the sweet poison she used to encourage him to act rashly. Ursula knew his greatest weakness, and she took full advantage of it. The fact she was able to use Ariel's voice without the need of her locket made it an even more convincing disguise.

If he could only have another chance, he would take it and reject her; but it was too late for that. The guards raided the rebel base, and captured most of their leadership and scattered those they didn't kill. Thankfully, even in his darkest hour, Sebastian was able to save a few, like Flounder and Urchin. Even if he had failed, he had hope left for them; they would continue the fight.

In the meantime he could only watch from his lonely cell as the kingdom twisted around him. Disgusting Eels, and ink squirting riff-raff began to pop out from nowhere as more merfolk disappeared. The purity of Atlantican race was slowly being corrupted by low-breeds who had no business being in Atlantica in the first place. Sebastian even noticed that some traitorous guards were disappearing from the palace to be replaced by ink-squirters. Ursula seemed to be a firm believer in the "traitor's reward", and that was the one thing Sebastian couldn't complain about; it served those two-timers right.

Sebastian snapped out of his thoughts when he finally realized he was approaching the throne room. Soon enough, he was before Ursula in all her hideousness. He gave a solemn glance towards the floor, to behold the sad sight of the king's daughters bare naked staring at absolutely nothing. It made him sick to see what Ursula had done to them, but even more than that, it made him ready to gag knowing Ariel wasn't with them.

No; Ariel's fate was far worse. Sebastian looked up in the direction of the sea witch, but paid her no mind. His attention was drawn to the polyp in her hair. It was a pathetic figure; the husk of a merperson who fell under the power of Ursula and became a twisted form of itself, yet so much more. The creature stared at him with a solemn gaze, until it seemed to realize he was staring back at it. As if too ashamed to even look at him, it buried its head into the confines of Ursula's tuft of hair. If Sebastian could cry; he would have broken into tears right there.

His concentration was then broken by the sounds of his name being called, "This is the trial of Horatio Felonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian." It was the eel Flotsam. He took a moment to pause after reciting Sebastian's name; he then muttered something that Sebastian swore sounded like, "good god…"

He then heard a high pitched whistle come from Ursula. He turned to her and listened to her speak, "I never thought an ego could get that big."

"Like you can talk, demon witch," Sebastian shouted, clawing at the bars of his cage. "My family has a history to be proud of; unlike ink-squirters, who use treachery to steal power from others!"

"Hmph, whatever," Ursula shrugged his words and let her head rest on her welcoming arm. "So then crabby; how do you plead?"

Sebastian raised himself up as much as his cage would allow, and placed his claws behind his back. He would keep his dignity to the end. He spoke quick and blunt, "Guilty of protecting the kingdom I love from terrorists."

"How charming of you to keep your ground crab-cakes," Ursula spoke cooly. "Especially when I could turn you into tonight's dinner at any second." She raised the king's trident and pointed it at Sebastian. It began to close with an ominous gold light, but Sebastian kept his head high. He wasn't afraid.

But the ray of death never came. The light of the trident slowly died off, and the tension from before eased.

"But I won't do that," spoke Ursula in a cool tone that sent a chill down Sebastian's spine.

"I'm tired of it," Ursula sighed and placed one of her hands to her face and pressed. "Day after day of slaughtering ever traitor who swims into this room has become an absolute chore. And you are not any ordinary traitor. You, my delectable entre, were Triton's friend and personal musician. No; I've had something special planned for you, smart mouth."

"What; worse than having to see your face? I'm trembling." Sebastian didn't hold back. If this would be the last he saw of life, he swore to go down fighting.

After a moment of silence, the witch raised a finger in Sebastian's direction and spoke, "I hereby strip you of your position as court composer. From now on you will tend to the palace stables as my new stable-crab. Your new quarters will be in the stables as well.

Without a moment for silence, one of Ursula's other eels spoke out, "Myleigethatsoundslikeadangerousideathatcouldeasilybackfire!" He seemed completely unnerved by Ursula's announcement, and trembled in place.

"Jetsam," hissed Ursula. "Collect your thoughts before you speak again."

The eel nodded, and took a moment to breathe in before speaking in a calmer voice, "Your majesty; he is the leader of the most dangerous rebellion your kingdom has ever faced. He has cunning behind him, and will continuously plot your downfall. It is too dangerous to keep him alive."

Ursula then gave a smirk to her pet eel and spoke in a frighteningly lighthearted tone. "Your concern is appreciated Jetsam, but unnecessary. My magic shall make certain he never escapes, or even breaths a word of rebellion to the outside world."

Jetsam looked to speak again, but Ursula then raised a hand to stop him. "That is my final word on the matter," she proclaimed loudly. "Guardsman, take him to his previous cell to wait until his new quarters are made ready for him."

The guard bowed and turned away from the throne room. Sebastian had been quiet the whole time Ursula and her eels had spoke, but now he couldn't help but let loose anger that was bubbling inside him.

As the guard swam off from the throne Sebastian pressed his face to the bars and began to scream as loudly as he could muster, "YOU'LL PAY FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE, YOU WHORE! YOUR ARROGANCE WILL BE YOUR END! I SWEAR IT, IF MY NAME ISN'T HORATIO FELONIOUS IGNACIOUS CRUSTACEOUS SEBASTIAN!"

* * *

 **Hold on to the waterworks everyone. I've got several more heartbreakers in store for you.**

 **I think this bonus was pretty ok, even if the heat has worn me down here. I want to focus on characters from the movies for the bonuses before really ending this story. So wait for more to show up when you least expect it.**


	8. Bonus Chapter: Vanessa?

"Queen Vanessa! Queen Vanessa!" The ministers of the state, nobles, and traders hollered and yelled at the top of their lung, desperate to outdo the other.

They huddled together in a group like tightly packed rats fighting over a block of cheese. The object of their attention was at the front of their group. It was a beautiful woman, who seemed in her twenties judging by her appearance. Her skin was fair as the full moon, and her hair was a wavy dark brown that parted from the middle of her head. She wore fine royal blue robes that hung strapless on her chest, barely able to contain her ample and pillow-like bosom. On her shoulders she wore a light blue shawl that hung around her like a makeshift cloak, seeming to reflect the light of the setting sun. On her head was a silver crown, splendidly adorned with jewels of many sorts. On her neck, she wore a simple white nautilus necklace that was held by a fairly ordinary black strap.

Behind the woman were two very meek looking servant girls who wore troubled looks on their faces, but spoke nothing. They held up the queen's dress and followed behind her diligently, but made sure not to look at her, as if they were afraid.

To her left was a giant, grey skinned man. He stood at least several feet above the rest, and used his body language to establish a barrier between the queen and the nobility behind her. He was suited in iron armor that bore on the chest plate, an insignia of a shark rising out of the water. He seemed very annoyed by the presence of the nobles around him but kept as silent as he could amongst their chatter; but the more they went on the more annoyed he grew.

They were all in a large and empty hall with few notable features aside from the many large arched windows that gave a stunning view of the cliff side, and the sea beyond. The group moved forward, following closely behind the queen who seemed to be heading for a large double door; quickening her pace as she drew further.

"My fair lady! What does the king have to say of the closing off of Arendelle," questioned a noble. "Something must be done to ensure stability and trade between our kingdoms!"

Before anything else could be said, another nobleman spoke, "The people of my district are suffering from a blight of the crops. We need the king's wisdom on what to do, or else we'll have no food or trade for winter."

"My lady," shouted yet another nobleman holding a scrap of paper. "I would like to fund an expedition to extract coal from a recently discovered pocket. If I could please just have the king's signature."

Finally the group had reached the door and the queen's face bore an expression of elation. Her beautiful face had almost seemed ready to burst red if she had to hear any more questions. She snapped at the two servant girls, who gently let down her dress and worked to opening the doors for the queen. The queen then turned to the man beside her and nodded her head. He nodded back and turned towards the throng of people and stood between them and the queen. As the queen headed into the door, the noblemen began to scream even louder for her attention.

She turned at last towards them and spoke, her voice was sweet sounding, but very plain. "Gentlemen; I shall let the king know about your concerns. For now, it is getting late, and it is time for rest. Please, if you may excuse me."

After a few minutes of shouting and screaming, the queen had the door shut behind her. It had led her to another hallway that split off in several different directions. For a while, the queen silently stared at the door, while the servant girls stood to her side and lowered their heads in obedience. After a few minutes, the hulking man came through the door.

"All clear," he muttered in a gravelly voice.

Upon hearing the words, the queen seemed almost to dissolve in relief.

"Good God, they're like animals," she sighed.

Without warning, she grabbed one of the servant girls by her shoulders and shook her violently in front of her.

"LIKE ANIMALS I TELL YOU!" Her voice echoed through the halls.

At last, she let go of the poor servant girl, who in her dizziness fell to the floor in a heap, only being helped up by the other.

The queen placed a hand to her face and sighed exasperatingly, "If I didn't need them so much, I'd send them all to the dungeon for all their constant pestering. Why don't they care about how I feel?"

The giant man crossed his arms and growled to her, "Hmph. That's just what royalty is. Sure you get the perks of a comfortable job that has a lower body count than most, but you still have to run a kingdom, and that involves having something called, 'a social life'. Oh, but I'm forgetting who I'm talking to."

The man let a noticeable chuckle leave his lips, and the queen scowled at him.

"Undertow," she growled. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask it from you."

"You did ask for it Morgana," the man let out another chuckle.

The queen didn't respond, but just huffed and ground her feet on the ground. The two servant girls lowered their faces even further, hiding their growing expressions of fear from their master's gaze.

The group began to walk along the hallway, silently, with Undertow beside Morgana, and the two servant girls held up her dress as she walked. After a moment, Morgana broke the silence,

"Have you seen Cloak and Dagger around?"

Undertow raised a large hand to his hair and replied, "Naw. Those two are still on that mission you sent 'em. They're probably taking their sweet time getting the grog I asked 'em for too."

Morgana turned to Undertow with a look of shock mixed with fury. "UNDERTOW," she yelled savagely. "Who do you think you are to order my servants around when I need them to perform a task?!"

Undertow picked his nose nonchalantly and flicked a piece away without even batting an eye at Morgana. "Hey, what can ya do," he said. "Being stuck in this body gets me on edge and I need to relax somehow. The only thing these humans are good for is their weird drinks."

"If you want to relax, why don't you just jump into the ocean and come back when you're sober," Morgana asked.

"Because some broad demanded I stick by her side all day while the nobility pestered her," Undertow picked his nose again as he spoke.

Morgana ground her teeth as her subordinate's sassy remarks, but held in her rage. She then let out a sigh and remarked, "What am I supposed to do when I am surrounded by the most bullish people on the planet demanding the world of me? I swear that Ursula cut me a bad deal when she signed me up for this queen job."

Undertow let out a deep throated laugh with Morgana's last remark, "Typical Morgy! Whenever Ursula isn't around you whine and complain about her, but last I checked, when she showed up you could only talk about how thrilled you were to take the job!"

Undertow's face contorted into a mocking smile and his body took a very feminine posture, "'Oh Ursie, I'd love to be royalty! You're such a wonderful big sis. Golly gee, I wish I can be more like you!'"

Morgana's face shrunk with rage as her eyes became tiny slits under the pressure of her brow, "You made up that last part!" Her voice seemed absolutely shaken at this point; desperately holding onto a level of authority, but quickly falling short.

Undertow's posture normalized, but he still held a mocking grin, "Either way I sees it, you just let yourself get conned because you knew that this was your only chance to ever amount to anything, even if you are still second fiddle to your sis. How much tribute did she say she wanted a month?"

Morgana could no longer respond. She was so utterly enraged at this point that words just forms into gibberish on her lips. Her eyes seemed almost ready to pop through her skull, and her beautiful hair started to come undone. Her fists shook uncontrollably, and without warning, one met the face of one of the servant girls. The poor thing fell to the floor with a thud, and the other was left whimpering in fear as she continued to hold Morgana's dress even more tightly than before.

After punching the girl, Morgana felt herself regaining composure. Her breathing normalized and her vision seemed to clear up.

She put a hand to her face and let out a deep sigh, "Undertow. You're dismissed for the night. Go out to the ocean, or wander town, I don't care. I'll call you if I need you tomorrow."

"Hehe, whatever," snickered the giant as he turned to leave. "I'm hungry anyways. Think I'll go find myself some minnows."

The giant's feet were like the sounds of drums on the stone floor. Each step echoed loudly after the other for what seemed like an eternity, until at last Undertow was out of sight, and Morgana was left alone with the two servant girls.

For a while, Morgana just stood in place, watching the direction where Undertow had left in utter silence. On the outside, she kept a face of contempt, but inside she was fraught with anxiety. Undertow spoke just like her mother; a criticizing nag who couldn't let go of the fact that Morgana had no presence compared to her older sister. To her, Morgana had no drive, no creativity, or even power; she was just second bananas to Ursula.

The day Morgana heard the news that Ursula was banished from the palace was probably one of the happiest days in her life. It made her feel good knowing that she hadn't blown it like she did, but imagine her surprise to a few months back when Ursula had become queen of Atlantica, and she was still a two bit witch. The mere thought made her sick to her stomach.

Then one day Ursula comes to her lair out of the blue, and offers Morgana a chance to become a queen too. During her power grab for the Atlantican throne, she had also snatched up a human kingdom as a consolation prize. With all the troubles in Atlantica though, she didn't want to bother with ruling two separate kingdoms, and offered it to Morgana. And like a starving child, Morgana just snapped at the chance. Now she was traipsing about the human world under the alias, "Vanessa"; the newlywed queen of the now King Eric.

All the same, Morgana was still second bananas. To get this position, she had to swear utter loyalty to Ursula's kingdom, and pay tribute once a month, but couldn't tell the humans what the tribute was for exactly. This led to many humans despising her, and calling her mad behind her back. Morgana intended to figure out a good reason in due time, but at the present had to endure the glares.

The fact she was required to stay stuck in this human body for most of the day, and walk amongst these ignorant apes was the most humiliating part of it. The kingdom she ruled was so awfully small compared to what Ursula had under her belt; and the land was absolutely devoid of magic. She may as well have been in the boonies if there wasn't a lack of banjos playing.

Morgana took in a deep breath and sighed to herself.

 _I should go to my room to relax. It's been a long day._

Morgana turned to see the servant girl she had punched was just finally starting to stand up. Her left eye was pretty much engulfed by the shiner Morgana left her. The other girl was still trembling, and sweating profusely, her hands seemed almost to tear at the silk of Morgana's dress at this point.

Morgana liked these two girls, a lot. They were the only ordinary humans who knew what she was really like under her guise, and that left a terrifying first impression on them. The fact that neither had ever seen magic or merfolk before made it trivial to intimidate them to keep quiet about the whole affair, and Morgana kept a very watchful eye so that they kept silent. (Though admittedly, there was little she could do if they did squeal. She didn't have the strength to do close to what her sister could do from a range.)

They were the only people Morgana had ever made an impression on before, and that gave her a sense of pride she had never felt. It was one of the few things that made being in human guise worth it. She had a sense of mystery around her that these two could never possible imagine, and that imagination was what kept them securely under her thumb.

"Let go of my dress before you tear it up, you," Morgana commanded to the girl still standing.

As if coming out of a trance, the girl's eyes opened wide open and she immediately dropped the dress to the ground. Morgana noted that there were marks around it.

"Oh dear; it seems you already did that. I may have to set aside some sort of punishment for you." Morgana spoke softly in an effort to intimidate.

The girl gave an audible gulp, and went straight down to her hands and knees.

"I-I-I'muh-muh suh-sorry madame Vanessa! P-P-Please furogive m-me!" The girl seemed like a crumpled mess at this point, and Morgana couldn't help but smirk.

"Very well then; I'll let you off the hook this time child, but if it happens again, I'll see to it something especially nasty is set out for you." Morgana lowered her fake voice as deep as it could possibly go.

Morgana then turned to the girl she had punched, who was still attempting to orient herself from the impact.

"And you," Morgana muttered as she put her hands to her hips. "How long do you intend to sit there?"

With her left leg, Morgana let loose a hard kick to the girl's underside, and she gave an audible yelp. Without a moment to spare the girl rose herself to standing position.

"I'm tired," spoke Morgana in a commanding tone, as she turned away from the girls. "I'm going to my room, and I need you two to bring me cold water for my bath. Go to the shore and bring me some. And remember; if you talk there will be terrible consequences for you both."

"Yes milady Vanessa." Both girls bowed and quickly made their way out of Morgana's sight.

At last Morgana was entirely alone. She puffed her chest up in pride at her stunning performance, and went off towards her room.

It wasn't long until Morgana came at last to her bedchambers. She opened the double doors and went inside the room. It was decently decorated with a few paintings strung up here to there. There was a large bed in the middle of the room made with fine mahogany. On a shelf were many of Morgana's potions which she brought from under the sea. And her greatest prize, was sitting on a chair on the balcony just to the left of the bed; the newly dubbed, King Eric.

He was a very handsome human, all things considering. His face was chiseled, yet soft from royal life. He was well toned, and his dark hair was smooth to the touch. Ursula was a fool to pass up a handsome catch like this.

Many days he would just be in that chair and just sit outside on the balcony because Morgana wouldn't give him his orders on where to go. He still remained under the hypnosis Ursula had placed on him, which had now transferred over to Morgana. The fake voice she had made to imitate the princess' was not perfect, but it was good enough to hold up the hypnotism. Eric would still obey her every command regardless of what willpower he had inside.

Morgana walked into the room and blew a kiss to her king, before stepping off into a dressing area nearby. There she sat herself down in front of a large amour and looked herself in a mirror. There she was; her real form. The young woman met the gaze of a green skinned older woman. Her hair was long and rose upwards, while her breasts were terribly small in comparison. Her face was lined with age, but it had a level of youth to it in how elastic it remained, despite the years taking their toll. The younger woman blew a kiss to the reflection and sighed.

"Hey there beautiful. It's been a long day, hasn't it?" Morgana's voice trailed as she began to undress herself in front of the mirror. "The future is going to be better though, don't you worry. Ursula may think she's gotten the best of me, but we'll show her. All it takes is a little bit of patience. Someday, she'll let her guard down, and when that day comes, we'll be ready for it. I've already got some plans in store."

By the time Morgana finished her sentence, she was completely bare naked in front of the mirror and reciting a phrase to herself.

Soon, an eerie green glow engulfed the small room in a blinding flash. What came out of that room then was not the young girl, but the older cecaelian seen in the mirror. She slid on several of her tentacles towards the outdoor balcony that faced the sea. She stood beside Eric and stretched out her arms.

"It feels good to be back," she groaned happily before sitting herself down in Eric's lap. Using one of her tentacles, she then raised Eric's head up and gave him a soft kiss. After minutes that felt like seconds to Morgana, she pulled her wet mouth away from his, and lowered her head towards his ear.

"Get undressed, and on the bed," she cooed softly to her king. "Momma's had a tough day, and needs some sugar."

The human world had its perks.

* * *

 **SURPRISE EXTRA CHAPTER!**

 **I was not expecting this chapter to go on this long, but the dynamic of having a character who didn't show up to the story created issues in length. In the end, I'm happy with how it has gone, Morgana was probably my favorite character writing for thus far in the story, even if she is a creeper. Her interaction with Undertow was my favorite section, and the part I'm most proud of with this chapter.**


	9. Bonus Chapter: Ariel

It was a typical Sunday night for Ariel. She sat in her pot on Ursula's vanity while watching Ursula toy around with her sisters in a variety of ways she never even realized possible. Her mistress' tentacles had a rhythm to them that she could barely describe; one moment they snapped with velocity equal to the wrath of an army, in another, they were as smooth as the morning tides. As she bore witness to the awesome and terrifying sight, she couldn't help but notice she was licking her lips and panting furiously. Suddenly, realizing the implications of her actions, Ariel retracted her tongue and turned away from the sight, hoping that Ursula didn't see her.

Thus was the fate of the mermaid princess, Ariel, who so longed to be a part of the human world that she traded her voice and bargained her soul away to the witch of the sea. In failing her end of the bargain, she became neither human, nor mermaid, but something far more twisted. Truth be told, in comparison to the other polyps she was not as disgusting looking as them; her face not so much warped, but seemed more child like. She still had many of the more disgusting faults of polyps, but they weren't as intense as the others, and she never understood why. Perhaps Ursula took pity on her the day she was dragged to the sea and made her spell less intense; maybe Ariel was just lucky. Either way, transformed she was, and voiceless at that.

How long had it been since she was first transformed? Several months maybe; Ariel didn't know, she wasn't keeping track. Even then, she still remembered what happened that day, when her life changed forever.

 **~000000000~**

 _It all seemed too real to be a nightmare, but too horrific to be reality. Ariel watched in horror as her father disintegrated before her very eyes, but said nothing. Her voice was no longer hers but property of the sea witch, so all that could come from her mouth were sounds of irregular breathing that only begun to speed up as her hopes dashed away. Her vision was clouded by a rush of emotion that began to sweep her mind like a passing hurricane, but she could not bear to faint. Ariel was too frightened to fall unconscious now, when her own life still remained in jeopardy._

 _She didn't know how long she just stared at the ground, weighed down by the aches of her heart. The concept of time was absolutely foreign to her now; everything was, except for the pain. Suddenly, an inky black tentacle came out from under her and grasped her chin, effortlessly lifting her head without even a moment of resistance. Soon, she was faced with the figure of her detainer; the very woman she had foolishly put her trust into three days ago in the vain hope of becoming human. Ursula, the sea witch._

 _She towered over Ariel like a great black obelisk; a figure whose very presence greedily sucked away the light around it to cast a black shadow over all before it. All the while she wore a broad smile on her face that seemed to suggest great joy, but her eyes told a different story. To Ariel, her eyes were cool as the open sea, yet like a void, sucking her deeper into her gaze, it was almost impossible for Ariel to pull herself away, she didn't have the strength to try anymore._

 _"Dear child, you seem to be a little distraught," Ursula's voice had a chill tone to it that sent shivers down Ariel's spine. "I would imagine so, after such a long day of heartbreak after heartbreak, but it's time for us to go."_

 _~Please… just leave me alone…~_

 _Ariel could barely even muster together her thoughts, she was so thoroughly broken that all she wanted now was just to lie down and sleep. Ursula's tentacle kept a firm grip on her though, and her eyes never turned from Ariel's._

 _"Sorry angelfish, but I'm afraid that just won't do." Ursula parted her lips to show her teeth and closed her eyes for a jovial expression._

 _Suddenly, Ariel snapped out of her trance, if for just a moment, completely shocked by the implications of what she heard._

 _~Did… did you hear what I said?~_

 _In her hands, Ursula held the trident of Ariel's father. She brought it up to her face and gave it a look of appraisal._

 _"This trident is a magnificent item, isn't it? With it, whole worlds of magic have revealed themselves to me. Strange and alien powers come together to impart knowledge I never even realized existed. I feel like a child again, just discovering magic for the first time. It's a marvelous feeling really." As Ursula spoke, she would alter her gaze between Ariel and the trident. Her expression was filled with absolute glee that seemed so genuine that, Ariel couldn't help but feel frightened by it._

 _As she spoke, Ariel stole herself a glance at Ursula's locket that hung around her neck, and wrested between her two great breasts. Inside that locket was Ariel's voice, bent to the will of a new owner. It came from her throat as a ball of magic, still singing even when it was taken from her, as if it had gained a life of its own through Ursula's magic. Ariel wondered what it thought of her now, after she gave it up for temporary legs. Did it hate her; did it still want to be a part of her?_

 _"I can assure you, it doesn't even want to be associated with you." Ursula's voice snapped Ariel back to reality once again._

 _Oh yeah; Ursula could read her mind. That was another annoyance to pile on today's mess. Ariel could feel some of her strength return as her mind became less focused on how utterly hopeless her situation was and more grounded in her current reality. Right now, Ursula was in front of her, and Ariel didn't want her there. She sat herself upright and grasped Ursula's tentacle in an attempt to pry it from her chin. No dice; Ursula's grip was too strong; it even seemed to get tighter with every attempt Ariel tried to make to pull it away._

 _~Why don't you just leave me alone to my misery, you monster?! I don't want to talk to anyone now!~_

 _Suddenly, Ursula let loose a boisterous fit of laughter that seemed to rumble the very ocean around them in echoes._

 _"Poor little princess; you don't seem to fully grasp the position that you're in. I'm queen now, and I give the orders here. Your first order of business is to come with me quietly."_

 _A shiver began to fall down Ariel's spine; her former annoyance was starting to be replaced by fear._

 _~B-but, you and my father had a deal! You can't do anything to me!~_

 _Ursula raised a finger and began to wag it; her face was wrapped with a smug grin. "Tsk, tsk, tsk child. That's not how deals work. Our deal was that I couldn't do anything to you under the terms of the old contract. But now I'm queen of Atlantica, and as a citizen of Atlantica, and a former tenant of my palace, you are under my jurisdiction."_

 _Ariel's breathing started to become more irregular as Ursula spoke. Her attempts to pry Ursula's tentacle from her face started to become more and more desperate as she sought an escape from the witch._

 _"Don't worry child," Ursula whispered softly as she bent to pat Ariel on the head. "I'm not going to hurt you. How could I even think about it, when you're the one responsible for making my dreams come true? No, I intend to reward you."_

 _~I don't want anything from you! Just please, let me go!~ Ariel was beginning to sob. Though Ursula's words spoke kindly, there was a hiss in her tone that suggested that there was more behind them._

 _"Ah, that fire in you is so admirable," Ursula spoke wistfully. "It reminds me of the flame I had in my youth. Believe me or not child, but we're more alike than you can possibly imagine. You can look down on me all you like as some sort of monster, but I know from firstentacle experience that you were doomed from the start. Your dream was hopeless."_

 _As Ursula's words drilled their way into Ariel's mind, she felt an anger begin to take over her. Memories of her time with Eric started to flood her mind along with her time in the human world. Along with them came the memories of Ursula in the guise of Vanessa. Ariel's face began to contort from a visage of despair, to one filled with venom and hatred, all focused on Ursula. If she still had a voice, she would have growled, but all that she could muster in her state was a very sinister hiss, the sort that demanded blood. At that moment a newfound strength began to overtake her as her grip on Ursula's tentacle tightened to a point where her veins were showing._

 _"Ah, now that's starting to sting." Ursula groaned in displeasure._

 _Several tentacles then jolted from Ursula and began to wrap themselves violently around Ariel, but she didn't take it lying down. Without hesitation, she entered in a violent tussle to keep the various tendrils from making their way around her, even going so far as to bite one. Ursula let loose a terrible howl when that happened, and with her free hand, leapt forward to punch Ariel in the face. The blow left her disoriented long enough to have one tentacle seal itself over her mouth. Soon enough, her entire body, sans the occasional gap was wrapped in a rope of tentacles._

 _~YOU'RE WRONG!~ Though he mouth was useless Ariel meant to make her thoughts loud and clear. ~The love I had with Eric was real! The only reason I failed was because of you! You're the reason everything's gone wrong!~_

 _"Oh ho ho. So you say child." Ursula's grin was absolutely mocking at this point as she begun to recompose herself after Ariel's unexpected struggle._

 _"Imagine then, what would have happened if you had decided to follow through with your plan to meet him while you still had your tail. Do you think he would have still accepted you then?"_

 _~How do you-?~_

 _"I have my ways, baby-cakes," She retorted quickly. "Suppose then, what would have happened had that smart-mouthed crab, and the rest of your friends, not been there on that night at the lagoon? I saw how grim the situation looked for you."_

 _~He still would have loved me even then!~_

 _"Can you be so sure," Ursula said with her grin ever widening to impossible lengths. "You know, I was able to read his mind when I had him under my control? Even with his body as stiff and lifeless as it was, the only thing he had on his mind was my disguise; the girl he believed to have saved him that day because she had the golden voice! Even when we slept together, I was the only thing he cared to think about!"_

 _Ariel's eyes were beginning to bulge out of their sockets. Her vision was beginning to cloud once more, only this time with an unparalleled rage. Her head reddened with blood, with her veins seeming to erupt from her skin._

 _~LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! YOU'RE LYING TO ME! YOU JUST HYPNOTISED HIM TO DO YOUR BIDDING, AND YOU PUT THOSE THOUGHTS INTO HIS HEAD TO MAKE HIM FORGET ME!~_

 _Now, Ursula was starting to show annoyance, her smile turned into a frown that seemed almost to cleave the sides of her face. "DID I NOW," she screamed. "If you had even an inkling as to how magic worked, you little brat, you wouldn't be saying that! My spell was made to block his mind from the world outside, not to alter it. I was in too much of a rush to fix the mess your friends had made for me to use something that advanced, so I made due with just his body. No, the thoughts he had were of the last thing he saw, his dream girl coming to him at last, and the joy he felt in finally being with her."_

 _Ariel shook her head in firm denial. She wanted to cover her ears so much, but Ursula's tentacles still kept a tight grip on her to the point that even moving was painful._

 _"You were there of course, but he didn't see you as any lover," Ursula's grin had returned, wider than eve, her eyes were drenched in a madness more akin to a savage beast than any rational being. "To him, you were just some poor girl he took pity on because he thought you were washed up from a shipwreck! Had my spell been more advanced, I'd bet you that he'd have even told you he wanted to marry me. All for some mystery girl he met for even less time than you!"_

 _~NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!SHUTUP! SHUTUP! SHUTUP! SHUTUP! SHUTUP! SHUTUP! SHUTUP! SHUTUP! SHUTUP! SHUTUP! GET! OUT! OF! MY! HEAD!~_

 _"Deny it all you want little mermaid! That won't change the fact that you weren't able to accomplish anything on your own! On your own you couldn't become human, and on your own you couldn't have your prince! And because of your reliance on others, you've lost everything. Just like I did long ago, you've lost everything!"_

 _At that point, Ariel could no longer hold back her anguish. She broke down into a mess of sobbing and coughing. Her strength vanished instantaneously, and her body became putty to the strength of the constricting arms. She could no longer will herself to fight anymore; it was just too much for her to bear. The whole world seemed to collapse around her, and everything she had previously believed in was coming crashing down around her._

 _~Please… please stop. I don't want to listen anymore.~ It was all Ariel could think of. Her mind was in a state of such utter disarray that she could only repeat that one phrase over and over, until even the words died away, leaving her in a state of utter blankness._

 _Suddenly, Ariel felt the warmth of a hand touch her face. It was Ursula's. Unlike her tentacles, the hand stroked her gently, taking care not to put pressure onto her. It masterfully worked its way around her cheeks, brushing aside stray strands of hair that interfered in its path._

 _"It's alright angelfish. You're not alone in this world. Believe me when I say I know just how you feel; me and my boys." Ursula's face was calm, with a sense of sadness behind it as well._

 _Ariel couldn't tell if Ursula was lying or not. Her mind desperately urged her to deny her, but she was so shaken, so utterly broken, that she wanted something to believe in. She needed someone to believe._

 _"I'm here for you, child. I will make certain that you shall be rewarded for your help to me. I will undo the damage Triton did to you all these years. You will bud into a real mature mermaid by the time I've finished with you. I will keep you by my side to see the world for what it really is and to teach you all there is to know about yourself. No one else will do this to you again."_

 _Without warning, Ursula's tentacles began to undo themselves from Ariel. One by one, a slimy tendril slowly retracted itself towards it master, leaving behind terrible marks from the strain of withholding the mermaid. Soon, there was not a one on Ariel's body, and she sank listlessly to the ocean floor. She hadn't the strength, or desire to swim away at this point; she didn't want to be alone at this point. She needed someone to be there by her. Slowly, Ariel collected herself and swam to hug Ursula's great hulk of a belly. It was soft and comforting; like snuggling up against a pillow, while Ursula's hand patted her head._

 _"Before you can become true to yourself though child, you must take a new perspective on the world. To do that, you will have to endure. Are you willing to do that?"_

 _Ariel slowly rose her head to meet Ursula's face, and after a moment of silence, she silently nodded to her._

 _From behind her came the sounds of something magical. She turned her head to behold the familiar sight of a golden contract, and a pen beside it. On the bottom half of the page, was an empty line, indicating where a signature would go._

 _Almost on its own, Ariel's arm acted to grab the pen. It hesitated for a moment before taking hold of the bony quill. She looked down at the page to see the terms and conditions of her contract, and gave one great sigh. After what seemed like an eternity, the pen's tip met the surface of the page and began to dance, leaving behind a trail signifying Ariel's signature. The deal had been made._

 _The magical parchment disappeared from sight in a flash, but the sight failed to even arouse a modest sense of shock from the mermaid. Her eyes remained dull and lifeless as they ever were, they seemed as calm as the open sea, but empty as a void._

 _Suddenly Ursula pulled herself away from Ariel very slowly Ariel wanted to beg her not to leave her side, but she couldn't bring herself to even move anymore, all she could do was take upright while Ursula began to mutter a chant to herself. The contract reappeared before her as she did, and quickly darted off towards Ariel, spinning around and around the little mermaid at a break neck speed. The parchment tore itself asunder bit by bit into an ever growing golden vortex that seemed to swallow her whole._

 _The first thing she could feel was the immense pain. It was the kind of pain that was nearly impossible to describe with just how much it measured. Her skin felt as if it was being pulled apart in several different directions before being crumpled up into a ball of sag. Her bones felt as if they were disintegrating into dust, with each crack worse than the last. Her hair seemed to almost dive into her skull like little knives that gutted her bit by bit. Her arms were collapsing in on themselves in such a way as to resemble the pounding of stone on a twig. The world seemed to rise up against her as the vortex pulled her further downwards into the world of pain. She wanted so desperately to scream, but all that could come out of her was a terrible sound of gurgling and coughing, as her body broke down._

 _Then, all went black._

 **~000000000~**

When Ariel had woken up, she found herself back in the palace, yet things were different. She had been transformed into a polyp, and Ursula was now queen of Atlantica. The terms of the contract stated that Ariel would belong to Ursula for several years as her personal pet and servant until the day Ursula set her free. In the meantime, Ursula would take her with her as many places as she could so as to teach her all she knew. She chose to carry Ariel around in her hair as a makeshift flower, as both a way to intimidate those around her, and to just be silly. Ariel found the idea pretty stupid, but didn't have much of a choice in the matter, so she just rolled with it.

Ursula had made many changes to the palace in her coming; many servants had either abandoned their posts, or had been dealt with for treason. Soon, most of the merfolk who Ursula didn't buy with promises of power and wealth were gone from the palace and had to be replaced. Ursula had also hypnotized Ariel's sisters into becoming her slaves, (she meant to do a more advanced and subtle hypnotism, but the situation was moving too fast for that, she told Ariel). After all Ariel had been through, she found herself really unable to care too much. As a matter of fact, she considered it a pretty good fate for them, seeing as they were twice as spoiled as she was and would have collapsed in the outside world.

Weeks passed, and rebellions sprung up all over the kingdom. Ariel never really got to see any of them in action though, because Ursula would never take her outside the palace for missions she would deal with on her own. It was on these days Ariel could only really spend her time under the care of one of her two eels, Flotsam and Jetsam. The two started off their relationship with insults towards Ariel, but as time went on they became a little less antagonistic, even talking to her about the hardships they endured. Since she could never properly respond, she was a good outlet for them to voice frustrations. Even Ariel couldn't help but grow to like them more and more, they weren't bad guys one you got to know them; they just had a creepy way of talking and needed to work on the concept of personal space.

Her relationship with Ursula was just a bit more complicated. In many ways, she treated Ariel like a doll to be doted on, and had even less of a concept of personal space, but always presented it in that diva-like fashion she always had for more casual occasions. Perhaps she'd prod Ariel with her tentacles, "accidentally" drop her in her cleavage, which Ariel couldn't get out of on her own, (she almost thought she was going to suffocate one time), or maybe she'd decorate her with makeup and other cosmetics. She also had a bad habit of "accidentally" forgetting that she could read Ariel's mind and would personally antagonize her with that annoying habit.

All the same, when Ursula wanted to be serious, she really could. Whenever in more public, Ursula made certain to treat Ariel as more of an equal by her side, sharing inner dialogues with one another about other people and the way the world worked. Ursula would talk to her about future plans, and sometimes debate with her about the morality of her decisions. Of course, neither actually spoke proper words to one another; Ariel had to be content with Ursula letting her read her thoughts. Ursula couldn't give Ariel back her voice either. During her time with rooting out rebels, Ursula had to merge Ariel's voice with her own so as to avoid having her shell locket reveal who she was. This had the peculiar effect of Ursula now being able to talk in two separate voices on a whim. Ariel didn't really care; she gave her voice up after all, and it wasn't like she could even speak properly as a polyp. She was content with just speaking her mind.

Overall, their relationship was fairly bumpy, with ups and downs here and there. Ariel did really appreciate the days when Ursula would be more open about her past, especially in regards to the other polyps she decorated in the palace garden. She heard so many stories about the people who would come to Ursula that she was surprised that there were still more to hear. They all usually had fairly different reasons for coming to Ursula, but the overall stories were strikingly similar. Usually some desperate fish-person would come to Ursula or be coerced by Flotsam and Jetsam in the hopes of having their problems solved. Often these people would be utter nincompoops who never see the trick behind Ursula's words because they were just so desperate.

 _"One time, there was this idiot who called himself Harold,"_ Ursula would say. _"He comes flitting into my lair asking for muscles so that he could impress the ladies, and I tell him to go find me some fresh water lilies in three days. The problem was that it was fall, and fresh water lilies were out of season. Any idiot could have told you that, but not this one. So he goes out to get me the lilies, and comes back empty handed, begging to me for more time. I showed him no mercy."_

Every now and then though, Ariel would also hear stories about those who came to Ursula and weren't turned into polyps.

" _These fish-folk, they're smart,"_ Ursula would say. _"They're not like you or Harold was by letting me dictate the way the conversation goes. They stop and think, and make their presence known. Sure, they're desperate, and willing to go for situations less than ideal, but never to the point where they'd be caught in my traps. Take this one mermaid for instance; tanned and fairly good looking girl who goes by the name Alasie. She comes into my lair, hoping for strength so that she could run her ailing father's caravan. I try to pull my usual bravado, but she wouldn't have it. It was a long back and forth between us, and eventually, I took her ability to give birth in exchange for the strength she needed."_

 _~That's what you consider fair?!~_

 _"It's not as bad as you might think, angelfish."_ She responded. " _Just because she can't give birth anymore doesn't mean I took away her ability to adopt a child, or her ability to mentor children. How bad these deals are, is usually up to the people who take them to decide. I just make the offer; even if I choose to skew it to my advantage."_

That was the crux of their relationship. Ariel was the student, and Ursula her teacher. In many ways she had really grown to admire her for her wits and certain other qualities as well. She didn't know what it was about her exactly, but Ursula seemed to exhume this sort of awe inspiring aura around her that would give Ariel goose-bumps whenever she returned from being away too long.

As for Ariel herself: inner conflict ruled her life for the majority of time she spent as a polyp. On the one hand, she wanted desperately to believe that help was on the way; that she would be rescued and life could return to normal in her home. Part of her desperately wanted to go back to Eric and have him sweep her in his arms and they could live happily ever after. And the longer she spent as a polyp, the more disgusted she was becoming with herself. There were days when she would look into a mirror and chant to herself to keep together, to keep on hoping, to not give up and just throw her old life away.

Another part of herself was growing in her though, one more… grim, and accepting of her current position. Even more disturbingly, it was a part of her that was eager for things to stay the way they were. She was becoming more cynical, and more critical of herself and more demanding of Ursula's attention. Even as a polyp she began to give more scrutiny to the people her mistress dealt with, with a growing sense of contempt. She began even more to loathe the arrogance that would come from them as they dared to defy Ursula's rule with such stupid methods. And on days when her mistress would transform traitors into polyps, Ariel started taking a sick enjoyment from the spectacle. Those were days when she would stare long and hard into a mirror for the longest of times (sometimes going as far as to bang her head on the glass).

There were days where Ariel would often think of Eric, and wonder what he was doing, wondering if he was ever thinking about her. He wondered if what Ursula had said was a lie, and that he really did love her. She wondered if Ursula had never shown up, would things have been different between them?

Whenever she questioned Ursula about what she did with Eric, she would always say, "I left him up there to do whatever. For all I know, he may have gotten married to some other girl and is running his kingdom right now. He's not my problem anymore as far as I'm concerned."

Ariel wanted it to not be true; she begged with all her might that it just wasn't, but as days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, the more hopeless her wish seemed.

Then the day came, the day she heard of Sebastian's rebellion. A hope she hadn't felt for a long time rose up in her on those days, and she remained ever defiant of Ursula's whim. These were the days when Ursula was in most distress and turmoil as rebellion sprung up all over the kingdom. The most stressful Ursula would become, the more hopeful Ariel would be that Sebastian would come to rescue her.

Then her hopes were dashed almost entirely in the span of a few days. The rebellion had failed, and Sebastian had been captured. Earlier that evening, when he was brought in for his trial, was possibly the saddest Ariel had been since becoming a polyp. She wanted so badly to hide from his gaze, which seemed to pierce her heart to no end.

Now, it was just another typical Sunday night for her, watching her mistress violate her sisters in ways she never realized possible and shamefully ogling.

Ariel then turned her head upwards to the ceiling, thinking once more of Eric, and whatever he was doing for her. She wished she had never involved him in this whole mess, and wondered if he really did find another girl. Oh well, it'd probably be better for both of them anyways. After all, he was a human, and she was a mermaid. Even if she did become fully human she probably wouldn't have fit in anyways. And either way, it wasn't like she could swim up to even check up on him.

She took one glance at the mirror in front of her, and gave a sigh at the green face that looked back at her.

 _So much for true love…_

* * *

 **This was my longest chapter to date, and probably my favorite. I originally was going to have Ariel's situation be a little more black and white than it was before, by having her become a full cynic the moment she turned into a polyp, but I wanted to also create a stronger sense of passion in her. Originally, Ursula's sentences also were a little more clear cut, and less ambiguous, but because I wanted to be a little more fair to Ariel, I made things more ambiguous.**

 **Anyways, things are looking to clear up soon. I only have a few bonus chapters left before finishing up the story, so stay tuned.**


	10. Bonus Chapter: Ariel's Sisters

It was just a normal Sunday night for the daughters of Triton. Ursula had Adella, and Attina in the grips of her tentacles on her bed, while the others sat off to the side, waiting for their mistress to command them. They just stared forwards… blankly staring off into space unknown… only responding to the command of their mistress…

…..

…

…..Yep

…..

Ah-hem… Ah, testing. Are the keys coming out correctly? Do I have to erase anything? No. Whatever, we'll fix it whenever.

Hello, this is your despicable, wretched, putrid narrator speaking. Seeing as none of these girls have much on their minds, I thought it best to try something a little different here. Until something else happens, it's probably best that I give you a small description of the situation these girls are in.

As you may realize, they are hypnotized to do Ursula's bidding; or so it may seem. To call it hypnosis would be a little inappropriate though. You see, there are several types of ways to gain control of a person's body, (aside from ventriloquism), and though most fall under the general term of hypnotism there are more specifics involved.

The spell Ursula was using right now on these girls, (let's call it hardcore hypnotism), is the same one she cast on Eric. By using Ariel's voice combined with her magic, she is able to use a soft noise to essentially block their minds from reaching the outside world. It essentially puts them into a dreamlike state where they can no longer control of their bodies outside of basic motor functions like breathing, or eating. It is an effective spell when used in a pinch, but it has its limits.

It requires the full concentration of the spell caster to keep the spell running effectively. If they are too far from their victims the spell will break, unless the user is willing to dedicate a very large expanse of magic to keeping the spell active. It can tire out a spell caster terribly in that sense. And because the spell is so reliant on the noise existing in conjunction with the magic, if either piece is separated from one another, the spell will break.

Take, for example, when Ursula still had Ariel's voice in her locket. The locket is a magical item that helps provide power to Ariel's voice beyond its normal capabilities. If the locket we destroyed at any point, not only would Ariel's voice return to its master, but it would be deprived of the magic that kept the victim under the spell. And because the spell blocks the mind from the world around it, that victim would leave their trance without any memory of what had just happened. It's like waking from a dream to find you slept walked all the way to Milwaukee in your underwear, unsure where the tattoos on your ass came from.

To pile onto that annoyance; if the spell caster's mind isn't clear enough, then the victim will just stand in place, unable to really work out what to do either than breathing, and eating when hungry. It's not the sort of spell that Ursula liked to use, but she was in a rush when hypnotizing Eric, and Ariel's sisters. She gets pretty sloppy when put under pressure, I'd say; but hey, the spell did its job. She would often mutter to herself that she'd attempt a more advanced spell on the girls once all the craziness died down, but don't we all procrastinate every now and then?

Speaking of more advanced spells; there's a more suggestive variety of hypnosis, (let's call it light hypnosis). This sort of hypnosis does not block the mind, but instead clouds it with suggestive imagery and noise. This sort of spell is less reliant on the spell caster's magic, but also relies on their ability to deceive their victim more. It also lets the victim actually be able to remote, and do certain things on their own, without the spell caster being around. (That is dangerous during the early stages though, and no recommended).

The spell caster will usually give their victim something they actually want to see or hear, and then use their magic to slowly implant it into their heads, shoving opposing thoughts into the subconscious. This sort of magic has a lasting impact on the victim, regardless of if the spell breaks or not, making it advantageous in that way. However, this spell breaks far easier than the last, because if the victim even catches even a whiff of something up, the spell is broken. The longer the spell is active though, the less this matters.

This is the sort of spell Ursula had wanted, but the situation was getting bad for her, and she had to resort to more brutal measures. Now there is even more brutal hypnosis that usually involves destroying the victim's memories, but at that point, why bother? You may as well reanimate a dead corpse and you would get the same results.

Ah, wait, it seems like something is happening; hold on.

…

After a long night of violation and tentacles, the girls were finally given the order to go to bed and meet up at the throne room in the morning. Ursula had given them an extra command though; they should chat with each other before going to bed. Without uttering a single word, they obeyed her commands and swam off toward their room.

…

This is awkward.

Since this particular spell involves blocking out the mind for the girls, to give them an order that involves them actually committing to something independently would be tricky. They would also be doing it away from Ursula, so she couldn't help them. So this meant that once the girls reached their rooms that for less than a second, the spell would have to let up in order to give them access to their word bank. To prevent them from escaping the hypnosis, the spell almost immediately shuts off access to the mind.

What this essentially means is that the girls are about to have a very interesting conversation.

…

The moment of truth had come for the girls. They sat in their beds, blank eyed as always, waiting for the moment where their minds would open up for them. It would open for just long enough for them to accomplish their task of at least one word for each girl to speak.

The world flashed for what seemed like a blink before the girls expressions returned to their neutral state once more. This time, they were armed with knowledge.

"Broccoli," said Aquata.

"Boobies," replied Adella. (Wonder what was on her mind at the time?)

"Broccoli! Broccoli!" Aquata's voice became tense with rage.

"BOOBIES! BOOBIES!" Adella mimicked the tone of her sister.

"Tartar Sauce! Tartar Sauce…" Attina's soothing voice interrupted the quickly heating argument.

(Oh wow, two words; that's impressive right there.)

"Magic." Arista spoke dreamily to Aquata.

"Broccoli." Aquata was blunt as a board.

"Magic." Poor Arista sounded absolutely crushed by the news.

"Sponge." Andrina knew better. She had seen too much of the world for this to bring her down.

"Boobies!" Adella wanted to let her heart be known to all, against all the odds.

"Wumbo." Alana remained ever distant from her sisters; knowing full well the power she contained.

"Magic?" Arista could only try to keep her family together through the hard winter.

Alana's face was blank, but in its blankness was a stern resolve. "Wuh-m-bo!" She made certain to enunciate to the best that she could. The girls all had a blank look of nervousness to their faces faced with the power those words brought with them.

"Tartar Sauce." Attina's voice bore an element of warning to it. There was no telling what sort of dark secrets her sister had awakened.

(Ok. This is mostly BS, but you try working with this material and see how far it gets you.)

Suddenly, the voice of Ursula erupted from elsewhere.

"SHUT UP!"

And the girls dropped onto their beds like rocks.

* * *

 **Hey everybody, this is looking to be the second to last bonus chapter I do. The loose ends I wanted to clear up have been tightened, and the ones I wanted to leave ambiguous are doing their job. I wanted just one silly chapter before I took off though and chose to have it be here.**

 **This was a very fun chapter for me to do, and I'm glad I've got it done. Wumbo!**


	11. Bonus Chapter: Ursula

It was a bright and welcoming morning that greeted Ursula as she rose from bed. The water was just the right temperature for autumn, not too hot, or too cold. It was that comfortable level that gives one a nostalgic feeling for youth gone by. The morning sun gleamed over the water's surface with sparks of white interspaced with bright blue, like diamonds on a chandelier, casting its brilliance on the underwater kingdom of Atlantica.

Even after so many months as queen, Ursula still had a hard time believing that such a graceful and radiant morning was even possible. After years of being trapped in suffocating darkness that blotted out all but the most twisted light, it was like swimming into the panels of a fairy tale she once heard. While the sun's gleam would bleed into her room and wake her up early, Ursula did not mind. To her, it was the most welcoming sight of her day; never failing to bring her joy. It was so beautiful that, the first time Ursula woke up to one, she honestly thought she was going to die.

Ursula raised herself upright from her bed casually, and gave her muscles a stretch before relaxing. One by one, her tentacles revealed themselves from underneath the blanket, gently brushing the quilt aside to let Ursula appraise herself more closely. She seemed to have gained several kilos over past few months, and it showed in the flab of her stomach, and the great expanse of her breasts. She was so happy; after so long of having to endure starvation, she was beginning to regain some of her more shapely form.

As Ursula looked down, she caught a glimpse of her nautilus necklace, laying snuggly on her cleavage, held tightly together by her octopus skin. It was a magical trinket she had taken long ago, but that's all it really was now. There was nothing inside it except for the magic that gave it, its capabilities; no mermaid's voice to echo a haunting melody from within, just an empty shell.

Ursula placed a hand to her throat and gave a soft chuckle.

"Yes; that's right," she spoke with a youthful tone. "It's merged with my voice. There's no giving this back now."

That was quite the pickle Ursula was able to get herself out of with the girl's voice. When her victory seemed to be crumbling around her by the day, inspiration struck just in time. She had to put all her eggs into manipulating the crab's emotions for Ariel, and it really paid off. True, it was a painful experience to have herself mutilated by her own guards, but it was worth it for the sake of her triumph.

"That's one more thing I must reward her for," said Ursula, still speaking in her other voice. "Things are just now dying down, so maybe I can get to work on making a replacement voice for her. Artificial ones are never the same, but it does its job."

Ursula sighed. There was a lot for her to do now that she was finally gaining control of the situation. She would have to work an alternate hypnotism spell for the girls. They would be more useful to her if they had a broader range of emotions, and would pleasure her better in bed. There was the immigration paperwork to sift through; and that would probably take days of listening to Flotsam gab on and on. She'd also have to get to work on redecorating this palace; she found herself missing the more purple hues of her lair; it went better with her cecaelian skin. Then there was the meeting she was to have today with the representatives of the cecaelian provinces, and that would clearly take all day.

Oh well, she had time. She had waited years for this moment to come to her, what were a few more weeks of stabilization?

Speaking of time; it was soon approaching the time of the month where Ursula would have to collect tribute from her sister Morgana, and that was sure to take time away from her schedule. Ursula often wondered how Morgy was doing up there in the human world; to be surrounded by brainless barbarians day in and day out harassing her on petty insular topics. Ursula certainly didn't envy her sister for that, but she did somewhat regret having to leave behind the prince with her. Ursula didn't lie; he was quite the catch, and far too good for her sister. Oh well; she probably deserved to get something good out of the deal; she was family after all.

Little Morgy was a lot like a shark who couldn't grow its teeth back. Ursula knew how much the girl hated her talent, and how she would talk behind her back in pitiful attempts to bring her down. Instead of trying to better herself, she would always just aim to bring Ursula down to her level because she had no faith in her own ability to grow. She had no presence, or identity, even when they were inklings. Ursula wanted to say she felt bad for her, but the girl brought most of it on herself. Perhaps time in human form would give her an identity to achieve, but knowing Morgy, Ursula doubted it.

Ursula gave a loud yawn as she began to slink herself out of bed; falling to the floor with a soft thud. She beheld the sight of her room; a large an expansive place suited to her grand personality. The ceiling rose high above, with a great chandelier as its only decoration. On the walls were multitudes paintings of herself, which she commissioned a few months back. One painting, in particular had her lavishly sitting on her throne while her slaves floated beside her in pathetic and submissive poses. To think, the royal family she once bowed and scraped to, were now the ones who bowed to her. It was the perfect revenge really.

Ursula then turned her attention towards the window and the kingdom that stretched beyond. Down there, people would be waking up to greet the morning, just like she was; only this time the population greeting the day would be the rightful rulers of Atlantica. For years, Ursula's people had suffered just as much as she had, and it was about time they were given their due. She'd make certain that the fish-folk were put into their place for their crimes against her people. All the prejudice, banishment, and executions would be met a hundred-fold. Her wrath would be swift like a passing hurricane; the polyps she placed throughout the kingdom were just the beginning.

And the main component to Ursula's scheme slept soundly on her vanity. Ursula turned and gave a sly smirk to the creature resting in a pot. The former Princess Ariel of Atlantica; one of the most beautiful mermaids ever to swim the seven seas, now a lowly plant enslaved by desire for her mistress. The poor thing was a truly pathetic sight to behold now; a shriveled shadow of her former glory that carried none of her former innocence and grace. And with the girl's voice inside her, it was as if Ursula truly owned her, both body and soul.

But there was more to this girl than even she knew. Ursula could see it the moment Flotsam and Jetsam laid eyes on her, that Ariel was a lot like her in her youth. She was headstrong, and determined, but she lacked confidence, experience, and training. She relied too much on others to do the hard labor required to see her goals met. That accursed Triton did a very fine job of stifling the girl's potential, but couldn't totally erase it like he did in her sisters. Despite still having their normal bodies, those girls were a thousand times more pathetic than Ariel ever had been, at least the girl could carry herself somewhat in her more gruesome state. If Ursula had ever transformed those other brats, they'd be no different from the other polyps; crying, and begging, and blaming others for their problems. Ariel though, she was different.

Ariel could have been doing that; she could have been weeping about herself daily, but she didn't. She was always more focused on what was going on around her, and learning. Even in her limited form, she retained this desire to learn about the new and strange; never failing to engage with Ursula on serious topics. (The girl did need to work on her sense of humor though.) These traits were important, for when Ursula gave her form again. Of course, Ursula intended to reward her with a more fitting form than a mere fish-girl. A bit of her blood was all Ursula would need to make a fine cecaelian out of her. Then the fish-folk would learn to suffer pain from the girl who they once adored as their princess.

Ursula gave a sinister snicker in her younger voice as she slithered on slowly to the vanity.

Ursula sat herself down on the cushion and was met with a gaze from her reflection in the mirror. To other folk, it was just a single reflection of Ursula smiling back at her, but to Ursula it was so much more. To her, she could see the visages of three confident women gazing back at her; herself; her alter ego Vanessa; and an older cecaelian Ariel. She then looked down at the sleeping polyp beside her.

"You will be my great legacy child. You shall sustain me for all eternity," Ursula purred in her normal voice as she stroked the polyp girl with the tips of her fingernails.

For several minutes, she just repeatedly stroked the polyp, until at last she leaned forward and gave her a forceful kiss on the cheek.

The polyp sputtered and stirred in her sleep, until finally waking up with a start.

"Good morning angelfish," cooed Ursula to her pet.

The polyp looked up at Ursula with an annoyed frown, and then gave a yawn before laying her head back down on the vanity.

"Oh no you don't, girl," Ursula said in a stern tone. "We have a busy day today, and I need you to be awake for it. Up with you!"

Ursula's gentle strokes now became hard pokes that didn't hold back in strength. Ariel's soft polyp head bounced against the stone vanity several times before she finally surrendered. As she rose herself upward, she grumbled and gurgled loudly at her mistress.

Polyps usually only have one voice, which sounds somewhat like gurgling. Polyps that Ursula transformed though, would always have two voices; one would be the polyp gurgle, while the other would be an echo of their former voice. It was usually the only hint that any polyp had been transformed from something else. Since the mermaid didn't have her voice anymore, she could only gurgle out loud. Now Ursula could always just read her mind, but it was early, and she didn't feel like it.

"Bright and alert as always, I see." Ursula had switched her voice again, much to the chagrin of her pet.

"We have a busy day today, and I'm going to need us both to look our best when speaking to the representatives. I'll need you to be there as well, you will need to pay attention to how high class discusses politics." Several tentacles rose up from below the vanity to grasp at a variety of cosmetics strewn about the table. One tentacle grabbed a powder brush and began to apply it to a grumbling Ariel.

"Things are finally starting to come together aren't they," Ursula said as she had several tentacles applying eyeliner and eye shadow. "Rebellions are quieting down, and more of my people are arriving in the city in droves. Soon there will be no one left to oppose us. Do you think this color matches my eyes?"

As Ariel was being harassed by a prodding tentacle, Ursula could hear an audible gurgle come from her.

"I think it does too," remarked Ursula with a playful smirk as she applied. "I'll be putting those fish-folk to work soon. It's been far too long since this city had a decent source of income behind it. Triton may have brute forced his way around everything, but I won't fall into that same trap, I am a diplomat at heart, even if a bit twisted. Do you think I should try the Australian Gold, or the Caspian Yellow?"

The polyp gurgled some more as a tiny brush was run through its scruffy hair, painfully running into knot after knot.

"Caspian Yellow it is then. Things are finally looking our way aren't they darling? Soon enough, this kingdom will be celebrating the dawn of a new era, even if the old one shall desperately try to cling on. Pretty soon, I can look into finding a suitable merman to mate with and begin the process of gaining heirs to my throne, and you'll be the treasure I pass down. Perhaps I should for the scarlet lipstick instead of the violet one."

The polyp just sighed as its hair had been arranged in a silly bow.

"Oh, you always have the best answers dearie; scarlet it is!"

As Ursula finished applying her makeup, an outstretched tentacle brought forth her crown and trident. Once she equipped them both, she took a chance to appraise herself in the mirror.

"Oooh, who is that beautiful lady on the other end? She seems regal enough to be a queen I'd say. What do you think honey?"

This time, Ursula chose to read the girl's mind. She was curious what may be on the other end.

 _Sheesh… I don't know why she has to make such a big deal out of it; she looks good. Maybe if she actually listened to me during the mornings we wouldn't have to go through this bravado. I gotta admit though, I am starting to like this bow a little._

Ariel was facing the mirror, giving her own little appraisal of the bow on her head. All the while, Ursula rested her head on her arm and smirked at the little polyp before her. She just loved this girl.

Ursula then rose from her seat and pulled away from the vanity. One of her tentacles then grabbed Ariel and uprooted her from the soil she was in.

"Well now dearest, it's time for us to go. We have a very long day ahead of us."

Ursula brought the little polyp to her face and gave the girl a light peck before having her tentacle wrap her into the strands of her hair. As she swam off she found herself humming a little tune; something that they both held deep in their hearts.

* * *

 **And that's all folks. It's been a swell time disturbing you all with my finest piece of horror yet. Writing this story has been one hell of a cathartic experience for me; regardless of how terrifying a scenario it paints to normal people. I've been wanting to get this damn sort of story off my chest for years now, and I've finally done it.**

 **As for whatever message I may be sending with this story, I just like to say that the only message I wrote is for me, and me alone. Whatever message you may take from it is yours to make. I write my stories to be open to everyone with room for them to make their own messages. So don't be so quick to guess what might be on my mind when writing this, but don't immediately dismiss your own interpretations.**

 **As for the story and all it's loose ends, anyone's free to continue it if they like, and half ass some stupid happy ending to it, I don't really care at this point. The story I wanted to tell is now done, and I've got other stories in the making.**

 **This has been a long, and lonely journey, but now, I'm happy it's finished. I hope you've had A time, regardless of whatever you've taken from it.**


End file.
